Jun 23, 2015 2 min read

Construction started on Rankin Road in South Strabane this week as Rice Energy contractors pave the road to comply with natural gas well pad conditions set by the township earlier this year.

Paving work was scheduled to begin today, but the company got an early start Tuesday. Weather permitting, the first phase of work from Rankin Road’s intersection with Route 519 to its intersection with Wilson Road will take two to three days to complete, according to Kimberly Price, community relations director for Rice Energy.

The road will remain open, and flaggers will direct traffic. The second phase of work – paving the upper part of the road – is expected to be completed within three weeks.

Rice agreed to widen and resurface a section of Rankin Road that was in disrepair. The road already was widened, but asphalt will fill in the areas that are currently stone, said township manager John Stickle.

The township received one recent complaint from a resident about the condition of the road. Township officials approved Rice’s Waterboy well site on Rankin Road in February.

Price said drilling already began at the well site, but the company wants to make the road repairs before bringing in heavier trucks for completions operations. She said Rice will continue to assess the quality of the road and make improvements at a later date if needed.