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Murtha Drive to reopen this weekend

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WAYNESBURG – The reconstruction of Murtha Drive in Franklin Township is expected to be completed Friday just as Greene County commissioners are prepared to hand over ownership of the road to the township.

The paving is expected to be finished this week and reopen to traffic Saturday a month after the work began, which forced single-lane closures on the Route 21 side and a total closure on the section leading to Rolling Meadows Road.

The commissioners are planning to vote this morning to transfer the roadway’s deed to Franklin Township, which would be responsible for all maintenance and snow removal on the road. The announcement comes after Greene County spent $347,593 using Act 13 drilling impact fee money to make repairs to the damaged road.

Crews have been working since mid-September to repack the deteriorating sub-base, fill gaps and reseal the road in 31 separate sections that had cratered or sunk.

Franklin Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Reed Kiger said the township and county have been negotiating the deed transfer for more than a year, and the reconstruction of the road was critical to finishing the agreement.

He said their ownership of the road will give the township additional “liquid fuel” tax revenue from the state because of the added mileage the municipality must now maintain.

“It’s just another road in the township, that’s what it comes down to,” Kiger said. “We have no plans to take it immediately. We’ll eventually get it worked it out.”

The road was constructed by McHolme Waynesburg LLC in 2006 for the retail center developed there, but many sections either sank or cratered in the decade since it opened. McHolme, which was responsible for the maintenance, but the developer later filed for bankruptcy, shifting the costs to the county.

The county maintains numerous bridges, but it’s unusual for the county to oversee maintenance of roads.

“That was new to us,” Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said of obtaining Murtha Drive. “Maintaining that was unique.”

The commissioners are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. today in the county office building to vote on the deed transfer.

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