sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com
Road construction is about to switch into overdrive because the state Department of Transportation is awarding $59.7 million in federal stimulus contracts in the region.
The unexpected work for the four-county region, including Washington and Greene, is compliments of President Obama's economic recovery package, PennDOT officials say.
"It means we get a lot of projects in place this year that wouldn't have taken place until next year or four or five years down the road," said Alan Bailey, a PennDOT district executive.
The biggest project slated for Washington County involves concrete patching along a 9-mile stretch of Interstate 79 between Canonsburg and Bridgeville, work that should begin in the fall and carry into next year, Bailey said. Improvements are also slated for I-79's north junction with Interstate 70 in the Washington area.
In Greene, PennDOT is using part of the money to work on two bridges over Browns Creek and another at Garners Run.
Meanwhile, a section of Route 19 in North Strabane Township will be resurfaced, and bridgework will be completed along Route 4029 over Cross Creek Run in Cross Creek Township.
This work is in addition to millions of dollars in road spending that has already been approved or begun in this region.
The only hitch, Bailey said, involves just how PennDOT will pay for the work in the immediate future with the state budget crisis in Harrisburg. Lawmakers dealing with a sinking deficit failed to approve a budget by Tuesday's deadline, meaning state workers will go unpaid until a spending plan is in place.
"They're still working their way through how they are going to pay for the work," Bailey said. "No paychecks for us."
The first two projects using the stimulus money were approved Tuesday in Fayette and Westmoreland. Five others have been awarded, too, and another four will be announced today. Nine additional contracts are expected to be awarded July 16.