The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in McKean County the week of August 25. PennDOT performs year-round maintenance in its mission to provide a safe, efficient transportation system, and the scope of work in McKean County for the coming week is as follows:

Bridge Maintenance & Cleaning

• Route 1011 (West Eldred Road) at a bridge spanning Fowler Brook three miles north of Coryville in Eldred Township. Monday, August 25, through Friday, August 29. PennDOT will implement a detour using Route 346 and Route 446.

Pennsylvania has some of the oldest bridges in the country, with an age of more than 50 years on average. Preventive maintenance is vital in extending the life of the structures. As such, PennDOT maintenance crews perform some bridge deck patching and structural repairs.

Manual Patching

• Route 46 approximately a mile north of Rew in Foster Township. Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
• Route 646 between Route 46 and Route 346 in Foster Township. Monday, August 25, through Friday, August 29. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
• Route 46 approximately half a mile south of Pratt Hollow Road in Foster Township. Friday, August 29. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.

Most permanent pothole patching is completed in the spring/summer when temperatures stay consistently above freezing. If maintenance crews were not repairing potholes, the road surface would break up further and require more expensive corrective measures.

Pipe Replacing & Cleaning

• Route 6 between Gibbs Hill Road in Hamilton Township and Lantz Corners in Hamlin Township. Monday, August 25, through Wednesday, August 27. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
• Route 4003 (Bingham Road) approximately 1.5 miles north of the intersection with Route 59 in Lafayette Township. Wednesday, August 27, and Thursday, August 28. PennDOT will implement a detour using Routes 646, 770, 219, and 59.
• All of Route 3005 (Hutchin’s Drive/Campbelltown Road) in Mount Jewett Borough, Hamlin, and Sergeant townships.

Pipe replacement and cleaning are essential in maintaining water flow around state roadways. Controlling water flow is one of the most important aspects of maintaining pavements. Uncontrolled water flow will damage both the pavement surface and the area under the pavement, which causes deterioration across the length of the pipe.

Side Dozing

• Route 346 starting at Main Street in the City of Bradford and continuing westbound approximately 16 miles to the McKean-Warren County line in Corydon Township. Monday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 26. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.
• Route 346 starting near the on/off-ramps to Route 219 and continuing westbound to the intersection with Route 646 in Foster Township. Monday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 26. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.
• Route 321 starting at the intersection with Route 346 in Corydon Township and continuing southbound approximately seven miles. Wednesday, August 27, through Friday, August 29. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.

Side dozing removes excess material from beneath guide rail areas, which improves drainage and allows water to sheet flow off the roadway. Side dozing is a crucial highway maintenance operation because when drainage systems do not function properly, water collects on the road, weakens pavement, accelerates the formation of potholes, and creates the potential for icing conditions in the winter months.

This schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, emergencies, or other unforeseen interruptions.