Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in Potter County the week of July 22. PennDOT performs year-round maintenance in its mission to provide a safe, efficient transportation system, and the scope of work in Potter County for the coming week is as follows:

Bridge Maintenance & Cleaning

• Route 3001 (East Fork Road) in Summit Township. Monday, July 22, through Thursday, July 25. PennDOT will implement a detour using detour using Route 44 (Coudersport Pike), Route 6 (Grand Army of the Republic Highway), and Route 872 (Inez Road).

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 44 between Blauvelt Hollow Road in Sharon Township and the Clara-Hebron Township line at State Game Lands 204. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours. 
• Route 244 (Oswayo Road) from the intersection with Route 44 in Hebron Township to the New York State line/Genesee Road in Genesee Township. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours. 
• Route 4014 (Plank Road) from the intersection of Honeoye Road in Sharon Township to the intersection of Eleven Mile Road in Oswayo Township. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours. 
• Route 1015 (Collins Hill Road) from the intersection of Bingham Center Road, through the Village of Bingham Center, to the intersection of Windfall Road.  Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. 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, Ditching

• Route 144 from the Clinton-Potter County line in Stewardson Township to the intersection with Route 44 in Stewardson Township. Tuesday, July 23, through Friday, July 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.

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.

Shoulder Maintenance

• Route 1005 (Phoenix Road) from the Potter-Tioga County line in Pike Township to the intersection with Fry Road in Hector Township. Monday, July 22, through Thursday, July 25. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.

Shoulder cutting removes excess material and debris from unpaved shoulder areas. Shoulder grading involves the shaping and stabilizing of those same areas. Both operations improve drainage, allow water to leave the roadway, and eliminate shoulder drop-offs. These are crucial highway maintenance operations 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.

Side Dozing

• Route 44 from the Potter-Lycoming County line in Stewardson Township to the intersection with Route 6 in Sweden Township. Monday, July 22, through Thursday, July 25. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.

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.

Customers can report road concerns by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD. If calling after hours, please leave a name and phone number.