PennDOT’s James May, Rep. Sandra Major and Cabot’s George Stark discussed the paving projects getting underway on Routes 706 and 167 at the intersection of the two roads on Friday afternoon. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON
The longest single stretch of road improvements in PennDOT’s District 4 will take place this construction season in Susquehanna County.
About 15 miles of the heavily traveled Route 706 will be paved in a nearly $6 million project getting underway. Combined with about five miles of work on the Rt. 706 Safety Betterment Project – which began in 2011 – through the borough of Montrose, a total of about 20 miles will be repaved this year, according to James May, District 4 press officer.
May announced the plans Friday afternoon in Bridgewater Twp. at the intersection of Routes 706 and 167 an area of roadway that has garnered a lot of attention.
Contractor Pennsy Supply began work replacing pipes earlier this week. The road will then be resurfaced from its intersection with Rt. 11 in New Milford to Rt. 267 in Rush Twp., skipping over the five mile portion of the Betterment Project construction. May said the 15 miles of resurfacing should be completed in July and the five miles through Montrose completed in August of this year.
State Representative Sandra Major, R-111th, said the road was one of the main east-west thoroughfares in Susquehanna County, leading directly into the county seat of Montrose. More than 4,000 vehicles travel the road each day.
“From my perspective, it’s about safety,” Major said. “Drivers shouldn’t have to worry about people coming into their lane dodging potholes.”
“(Route) 167 is the roughest road in the district,” May said. That, too, will be seeing repairs. Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation is working with PennDOT to repair the road. “Cabot came to us,” May said.
Cabot spokesman George Stark said the company would be putting about $1 million into the repair work. Work has already started in the Hop Bottom area of Route 167. “We wanted to make sure the right thing was done with getting the roads fixed,” he said.
Bridgewater Baptist Church lead pastor Bob Kadlecik said a couple hundred people in the congregation make there way to the SR 167 church every Wednesday and Sunday.
The parishioners going to and from the church dodge craters to and from the services.
“It’s been a hard winter,” Kadlecik said. “Having some of this road fixed is good news for us.”
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