Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in McKean County the week of May 11. 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 155 at a bridge spanning Hamilton Run in the Village of Wrights, Liberty Township. Monday, May 11. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.
• Route 155 at the Port Allegany Veterans Memorial Bridge spanning the Allegheny River in Liberty Township. Tuesday, May 12. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.
• Route 219 at the Staff Sergeant Carl Enis Memorial Bridge spanning Kinzua Creek in Lafayette Township. Wednesday, May 13, and Thursday, May 14. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.
• Route 321 at a bridge spanning Kinzua Creek approximately nine miles northwest of Kane in Hamilton Township. Friday, May 15. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.

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

Patching

• All of Route 3003 (Burning Well Road). Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours and may deploy a pilot vehicle. When encountering a pilot vehicle with a “Pilot Car Follow Me” sign mounted on the rear and a revolving yellow light, drivers must remain behind it until it has left the roadway. Do not pass.

Most permanent pothole patching is completed in spring or summer when temperatures stay consistently above freezing. Manual patching consists of filling potholes with warm mix asphalt using a shovel. It is then leveled and compacted. Mechanized patching consists of milling paving notches, cleaning the surface, applying tack to all edges to act as a glue. A paver then places warm mix into the milled paving notches, and a roller compacts the material. If patching was not performed, the damaged road surface would deteriorate further, and PennDOT would need to completely rebuild the road or perform more costly corrective measures.

Pipe Replacement & Cleaning

• Route 46 between the City of Bradford and Smethport Borough. Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours and may deploy a pilot vehicle. When encountering a pilot vehicle with a “Pilot Car Follow Me” sign mounted on the rear and a revolving yellow light, drivers must remain behind it until it has left the roadway. Do not pass.
• Route 46 starting at Route 6 in Keating Township and continuing southbound approximately 16 miles to the Cameron-McKean County line. Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours and may deploy a pilot vehicle. When encountering a pilot vehicle with a “Pilot Car Follow Me” sign mounted on the rear and a revolving yellow light, drivers must remain behind it until it has left the roadway. Do not pass.
• Route 321 starting at Route 346 and continuing southbound approximately three-quarters of a mile. Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours and may deploy a pilot vehicle. When encountering a pilot vehicle with a “Pilot Car Follow Me” sign mounted on the rear and a revolving yellow light, drivers must remain behind it until it has left the roadway. Do not pass.

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.

Roadway Sign Maintenance

• All of Route 6. Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.

The most important way in which roadway safety and other information is relayed to our customers is through roadway signs. Most PennDOT counties have a small crew responsible for repairs and sign installations along state roads. PennDOT is responsible for reviewing installed signs and determining if, because of age, vandalism, damage or other reasons, a sign needs to be replaced. 

Vegetation Management

• Route 219 near the Owens Way exit. Tuesday, May 12, and Wednesday, May 13. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.
• Route 6 approximately a tenth of a mile east of Lower Grimes Road. Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15. This work takes place on or beyond the shoulder and has minimal, if any traffic impact, however PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones.

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 you call after hours, please leave a name and phone number.

For more information on PennDOT’s maintenance activities, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/about-penndot/strategic-planning-and-operations/penndot-maintenance-activities