I-79 work frustrates motorists
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crews finished patching the center line of I-79 southbound between the Laboratory and Marianna exits this week.
During the week of Sept. 29, motorists said they observed PennDOT crews tarring and chipping the center line of the roughly 8-mile stretch, and had chips deflect onto their vehicles as they drove over them.
“It was like your vehicle getting hit with a shotgun blast,” said Greg Phillips of Ruff Creek, Greene County.
“I’ve got three little nicks in my windshield and five dings in the body of my vehicle from the chips.
“I saw a sign that was set up about a week before and during the work that said ‘surface treatment work,’ but nothing about chips.
“If I knew about that, I would’ve taken a detour, because not only that, the backup of traffic was insane,” Phillips said.
Other drivers said they believed the work was all for naught because the chips were gone by Thursday.
“That’s the point. This work is to prevent cracking and potholes with the whole freeze-thaw cycle during the winter, and on roadways where two lanes meet in the center as connected pieces of asphalt, they’re very prone to crack,” PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said.
“The crews laid down oil, rolled over some chips, then swept over the center four times to leave just the sealant. The fact drivers see no chips means the work went as planned.”
No other centerline work is planned this year, Petersen said, but similar shoulder work will continue through November.
“We will slow traffic and form a single lane in those areas (on I-79 or major highways) so crews can do this shoulder work that ultimately will cut down on potholes and cracking come spring,” Petersen said.