Dallas City News

Luzerne County is seeking bids for road reconstruction, paving and drainage enhancements on Main Road in Hunlock and Ross townships, according to an online solicitation posted Tuesday.

Main Road has been ranked high on the county’s priority repair list based on assessments using road data and special software to come up with condition ratings, county officials have said.

The county had submitted an application seeking federal funding. Through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, $2.5 million was included in 2024 appropriations legislation as a federal Community Funding Project to fund the work, officials had announced earlier this year.

Bids must be submitted through the online PennBid Program by 3 p.m. Aug. 20.

More information is available in the county purchasing section at luzernecounty.org.

In another road/bridge update, county Operational Services Project Management Director Nick Vough said Tuesday the resurfacing of West County Road in Sugarloaf Township has been completed.

Largely covered by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Fund grant, the project included the addition of bike lanes, he said.

A West County Road dedication event is planned later this month, Vough said.

In the works

Vough provided a status report Tuesday on several other pending county road/bridge projects:

• Crestwood Industrial Park

The county had allocated $9.96 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to address stormwater issues along multiple county-owned roads, and the administration determined several in or around the Crestwood Industrial Park would be tackled with the funding.

The Crestwood project is currently in design, with plans to complete the work next summer, Vough said.

Council also recently agreed to seek a $2.75 million multimodal transportation grant from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority to reconstruct county-owned Church Road in Wright Township due to its deterioration and proximity to the industrial park.

• Sweet Valley Road, Ross Township

The resurfacing project is in design and will be funded by a federal Highway Infrastructure Program Appropriation Act allocation secured with assistance from Meuser, Vough said.

• Sleepy Hollow Bridge, Butler Township

Replacement of the steel truss bridge has been added to the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan for future funding, which means construction must wait until 2027 unless other funding is identified, Vough said.

The county operational services division has asked county council to consider allocating remaining American Rescue Plan funding for Sleepy Hollow Bridge ($1.1 million) so the project could be completed sooner, he said.

Funding needed

The county administration plans to request a casino-gambling Local Share Account grant to help resurface the Huntsville Extension in Jackson and Lehman townships, Vough said.

The following projects also are on the operational services division’s request list if additional county American Rescue funding is available for earmarks by council, the administration said:

• Miller Road Bridge, Exeter Township — $500,000 for culvert replacement.

• Lower Demunds Road, Dallas Township — $1.5 million for full-depth reclamation and paving.

• Kisenwether Bridge, Sugarloaf Township —$500,000 for bridge/culvert replacement.

• Harris Hill Road Bridge, Kingston Township —$1.8 million to replace the stone arch bridge.

• Palta Road Bridge, Ross Township — $350,000 toward replacement of the bridge superstructure. Other existing funds also would be used for the project.

The county has approximately 120 miles of roads and 300 bridges scattered within its boundaries, many inherited from municipalities during the Great Depression.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.