Borough considers options for road
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Burgettstown Borough is considering its options for a major road in disrepair.
Center Avenue, the main road connecting Joffre and Bulger to Burgettstown, is in “dire need of restructuring,” said Burgettstown Council President James Reedy. Council will consider potential quick fixes, including a more stringent weight limit on that road, during a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the borough building.
Reedy said Center Avenue, which turns into Joffre-Bulger Road, used to be a state road but was transferred into the borough’s hands several years ago. He said minor issues such as potholes and drainage have been fixed over the years, but a 900-foot section of the road that runs parallel to Raccoon Creek needs completely redone because it is caving in along the edges.
He said it is an old road that was designed for the horse-and-buggy age – not industrial and Marcellus Shale truck traffic.
“It’s not even a large section,” Reedy said. “It’s just in a bad place that runs along the creek, and the road is just not designed to carry that much weight.”
However, it would be a costly project, and Burgettstown doesn’t have the money.
Council will consider imposing a six-ton weight limit on the road. An engineer from T3 Global Strategies recommended the weight limit be posted between Center Avenue and Bridge Street to an unnamed alley past Studa Street, according to a road study in June 2013.
The road was found to be in poor condition.
Reedy, who was not sure about the current weight limit, said the road potentially could close, in the worst-case scenario.
John Thomas, who has a Joffre-based trucking business, said the weight restriction would greatly impact him because he uses tri-axle dump trucks. Thomas said he would have to travel 25 to 30 miles out of the way through McDonald to get to Route 22.
“They don’t have an alternative route for people to go on,” he said.
Reedy said council is talking to the school district about potential detours. He said emergency responders would not be affected by any weight limits.
“We are trying to come up with some sort of remedy,” he said. “Our area is already struggling enough, and we are looking for the easiest (solution) on everybody’s pocket to solve this problem.”