Luzerne County officials mark completion of road project

Luzerne County officials held a ribbon-cutting Friday morning to mark completion of the $1.6 million West County Road project in Sugarloaf Township.

Largely covered by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Fund grant, the 2.55-mile project includes the addition of bike lanes, said county Operational Services Project Management Director Nick Vough.

Township officials have agreed to help maintain the county-owned stretch, said county Operational Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora.

The county has been encouraging municipalities to accept ownership or help maintain the approximately 120 miles of roads and 300 bridges scattered within its boundaries, many inherited from municipalities during the Great Depression.

Council Chairman John Lombardo said he and his colleagues are extremely concerned about the condition of county infrastructure, and he is “pleased to see another project completed.”

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she celebrates finished infrastructure projects and described it as a “good day.” She encouraged all municipalities with county-owned roads and bridges to reach out if they are interested in a partnership.

Township Manager Liz Tolan said the rural roadway is “very busy” and carries traffic to a child care center and the township fire department, which is used for many community events.

The project was necessary because the road was too narrow and unsafe, she said.

“It needed to be done. We’re very grateful to the county,” Tolan said.

Tolan said she also has observed walkers and bicyclists using the new path.

Other infrastructure updates

County council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Councilman Jimmy Sabatino’s proposal to use a portion of the county’s remaining $4.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act interest earnings to repair two county-owned bridges — the Sleepy Hollow Bridge in Butler Township ($1.2 million) and the Harris Hill Road Bridge in Kingston Township ($1.9 million).

Sabatino also proposes applying the remaining interest, current and future, to next year’s county budget.

The stone arch Harris Hill Road Bridge and steel truss Sleepy Hollow Bridge were recommended because their closure has negatively impacted traffic patterns in their areas, Sabatino said.

The Sleepy Hollow Bridge was added to the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan for future funding, which means construction must wait until 2027 unless other funding is identified.

During Tuesday’s work session, council also is set to discuss a proposal to request a $524,300 statewide Local Share Account Grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to repave the Huntsville Road Extension in Jackson and Lehman townships.

If funded, the project would redo 4,800 feet of roadway from Huntsville Road to Idetown Road, the agenda said. The county wants to address this section because work on Huntsville Road was recently completed, and the Huntsville Road Extension serves both the Lake-Lehman High School and Penn State University Wilkes-Barre campus, it said.

Tuesday’s voting meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, followed by the work session. Instructions to attend the meeting remotely are posted under council’s online public meetings link at luzernecounty.org.