Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in McKean 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 McKean County for the coming week is as follows:

Bridge Maintenance & Cleaning

• Route 346 over Willow Creek in Corydon Township. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. This work takes place off the roadway and will have minimal, if any, traffic impact.

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 646 (Summit Road) between Route 46 and Route 346 (Derrick 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

• Route 46 between Smethport and Route 146. Monday, July 22, 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 46 between Smethport and Route 146. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
• Roue 446 between Route 155 and the Pennsylvania-New York Border. Monday, July 22, and Tuesday, July 23. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
• Route 346 (Willow Creek Road) between Bradford and the McKean-Warren border. Wednesday, July 24, through Friday, July 26. 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.

Signing

• Route 6. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact.

Signs are the most prominent way PennDOT communicates roadway safety and other information to our customers. County maintenance organizations have crews responsible for installing and repairing signage along state roads and reviewing installed signs to determine if replacements are needed. Reasons for replacing a sign include age, vandalism, or damage.

Vegetation Management

• Various routes throughout the county. Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact.

Mowing, herbicide spraying, and selected tree thinning help maintain a safe roadway free of obstructing vegetation, improving visibility to spot signage, traffic control devices, and other motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and animals approaching the road. Additionally, a well-maintained roadside can improve drainage and prolong the life of the roadway.

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.