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Murtha Drive repairs under way

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WAYNESBURG – In recent years, Murtha Drive in Franklin Township has felt more like an off-road obstacle course as more than 30 sections have cratered or sunk since its construction in 2006.

Repairs are expected to begin this week on the road that leads to the Waynesburg Crossing shopping center in Franklin Township.

Crews will begin “saw-cutting” along the road that connects Route 21 and Rolling Meadows Road with the major work expected to start next week.

Construction is expected to take about a month, and there will be alternating lane closures for motorists. Drainage issues on the roadway have caused sections to collapse, making for an uneven and bouncy ride for motorists traveling to Walmart.

Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said crews will saw-cut the damaged areas, repack the sub-base, fill the gaps and reseal the road in 31 separate sections.

“The road is to the point that we’ve been told if we don’t do something now, we’re going to have to fix the entire road later,” Marshall said. “We’re confident that fixing the rest of these issues … will take care of the problems.”

Marshall said the county’s engineer thinks the situation is a “compaction issue,” meaning there are no damaged pipelines or other underlying problems.

Greene County agreed in April to spend $347,593 using Act 13 drilling impact fee money to make repairs.

Flaggers will be directing traffic on the Route 21 side of the road while crews perform daytime work. At least one lane will be open on that side.

There will be intermittent closures on the Rolling Meadows Road side, Marshall said, although lanes will reopen during evening hours.

The road was constructed in 2006 for the retail center developed by McHolme Waynesburg LLC, which was responsible for its maintenance, but the developer later filed for bankruptcy, shifting the costs to the county.

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