Oct 6, 2025 By Mike Jones 4 min read

Work to relocate a water pipeline underneath South Main Street in Washington is taking much longer than anticipated after construction crews unexpectedly struck solid rock while digging below the roadway.

The expected two-week closure that began in early September is now approaching a month with the possibility that the work could continue for another three weeks into late October.

Crews from Golden Triangle Construction working as the contractor on behalf of Pennsylvania American Water unexpectedly struck the solid rock about seven feet below the road surface, delaying the time it took to dig down the required 20 feet where the pipe will be laid. That set the project back as crews just recently finished boring down 20 feet and now can begin on the pipeline work.

“The project as a whole was only anticipated to take about three (weeks), but we haven’t been able to even start laying main (pipeline) yet due to this issue,” said Adam Bromley, the engineering project manager for PAWC’s southwest region.

In response, the state Department of Transportation announced Friday that the closure will now last until at least Oct. 17, although the northbound lane will temporarily reopen to traffic this weekend before being closed again.

This is the third time the opening date has been pushed back since the work began Sept. 8 to relocate the water pipeline ahead of next year’s major reconstruction of the intersection at South Main and Park Avenue to rebuild a box culvert bridge over Catfish Creek. The work was originally expected to take about three weeks with South Main between East Prospect and Park avenues being closed for two of those weeks before it reopened to a single lane with flaggers directing traffic.

PennDOT District 12 spokeswoman Melissa Maczko said there will not be any financial penalties to the utility company or its contractor since the work is not being done under a state contract. But she added that it’s fortunate the problems are being addressed now rather than during the major culvert replacement project, which is expected to begin in the spring and close South Main Street for 20 weeks next year.

“Because this utility work is not part of PennDOT’s construction contract, there are no fines or penalties involved. In general, utility companies are not assessed penalties when performing necessary maintenance or relocation work, even when it affects our roadways,” Maczko said. “This situation reinforces what we already know, having utilities relocated in advance of the start of construction helps us keep projects on schedule.”

PAWC officials said they have been working closely with PennDOT, Trinity Area School District and Washington & Jefferson College to notify them of schedule changes and working to alleviate inconveniences for motorists, school buses or even fans attending collegiate football games at nearby Cameron Stadium.

While the elongated construction timeline is an inconvenience for motorists and those living in the neighborhoods where local roads have become unofficial detours, Washington Mayor Jojo Burgess said the entire project will be a worthwhile investment to hopefully limit flooding in that area.

“With infrastructure improvements, you have to deal with some inconvenience,” Burgess said. “But in the end, it will be worth it. We have to go through this because it has to get done.”

He said local police and fire departments have contingency plans to detour around the construction area, and it has not caused a problem in any emergencies in the southern side of the city. Ambulance and bus services are also finding alternative routes to reach places like Presbyterian Senior Living facilities, which straddle North Franklin and South Strabane townships at the top of South Main Street.

“No issues with delayed treatment or responses because of that situation,” Burgess said. “For us in the city, with police response, we can take a different route. There haven’t really been any problems.”

Burgess said he was told at Thursday night’s City Council meeting that the work could last another three weeks, which would push the road closure toward the end of October. Regardless, the mayor said they will get through the temporary inconvenience now and again next year when the major work begins in the spring.

“You really can’t practice for things like this. Every situation is different,” Burgess said. “But it’s something we’ll look at next year with the longer delay and look at things with PennDOT to make sure the inconvenience to the residents is as minor as possible.”