Local roads getting attention

Some relief has arrived for the county's battered secondary roads, which have deteriorated as a result of "normal freeze-thaw cycles" and "heavy-truck traffic," according to PennDOT.

On Monday, work was evident in western Bradford County in the Troy area.

On Fallbrook Road in Troy Township, workers with Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. were busy smoothing out the road's many rough places. Talisman Energy, a gas drilling company, had retained the company to do the work, said Charlie Campbell, director of special projects for Hawbaker.

He said the work was a temporary fix.

"The objective is to try and maintain a safe and passable situation for the public, and some of these roads are in pretty bad shape," he said. He added that this particular work didn't involve taxpayer money, with Talisman covering the materials and labor.

Steve Myers, a field foreman with Hawbaker, said several roads were slated for work. In addition to Fallbrook, they are Route 514, Windfall Road, East Canton-Windfall Road, Cowley-Windfall Road, Mud Creek Road, Bailey Hill Road, Watkins Hill Road, Austinville Road, Iron Mine Road, Coryland Road, Sopertown Road, Hickory Hill Road, Baker Road, Judson Hill Road, Austinville Road Ext. to Barrett, and Old Royd Road, he said.

He said the roads are being made safer to travel. "I think they are a lot better than they were last week on our section," he said.

PennDOT recently issued a travel advisory due to the road conditions.

Last week, Rick Mason, with PennDOT, said in a news release that "motorists traveling the secondary road system in the Northern Tier counties, especially Bradford, Tioga, Sullivan and Lycoming, are advised to be alert to deteriorating conditions along some of those roads due to the normal freeze-thaw cycles that occur at this time of year compounded by heavy-truck traffic."

Mason said many of the secondary roads are having severe potholes and rutting due to the heavy-truck traffic. Motorists who encounter these severe conditions are advised to slow down and drive with added caution, he added.

The roads also were discussed during last week's Bradford County commissioners' meeting.

Commissioner John Sullivan said trucks in the gas drilling industry are causing significant road damage in Bradford County.

When asked for comment, Talisman Energy spokesman Mark Scheuerman, said, "We are doing some repair ... it's just work we believe is in concert with the PennDOT advisory and it's something we've done in the past.

"PennDOT issued an advisory, we responded to it, and this is also part of our road use agreement with the local municipalities," he said. "It's not the first time we've done that and we feel it's the right thing to do and we will continue to monitor that on a day-to-day basis."

As for the future, Campbell said, "what the long-term cure will be at this point in time is indeterminate." He said it was PennDOT's decision.

When asked for comment, Mason, public information officer with PennDOT, said: "If they (the roads in question) are posted state roads, then yes, the companies that have an excess maintenance agreement with us and have posted a bond are required to make the necessary repairs, both short-term and long-term. We would need to approve the long-term repairs..."

Mason added: "In the meantime, I can tell you that PennDOT is working closely with the gas companies and their contractors to facilitate repairs caused by the heavy-truck traffic throughout the Northern Tier. It's my understanding that there are at least 10 contractors working on road repairs for the gas companies in Bradford County alone."

When asked for comment, county commissioner Doug McLinko said he has been taking several steps in light of the situation, such as staying in contact with gas drilling company Chesapeake on a regular basis.

He also said he has been talking with a company, which he identified as TAW, about what it's doing to fix the roads. He said it's a major contractor for all the gas companies.

McLinko said Chesapeake had 12 crews working on the roads last Friday. "They're not taking this lightly, they're working on plans to get it done, to get the roads up to snuff," he said.

In addition, McLinko said he's talked with PennDOT representatives regarding keeping the roads near the entrances of work sites clean and washed down, and he pointed out that the county brought township supervisors together in the past to talk with a township supervisor in Indiana County who has had experience with the gas companies.

He said township supervisors should be commended for being "on the front lines" and doing a "whale of a job."

McLinko said it's been a bad spring, and he added that he thinks the whole situation was underestimated this year.

He said the key is to learn a lesson and be better prepared for next year.

He added that public health and safety is of prime concern, but the county doesn't have jurisdiction over the roads.

Still, it helps to keep lines of communication open between elected officials and the gas companies, he said.

State Rep. Matt Baker is also addressing the issue.

"I am planning to meet with PennDOT about this, but they have assured me that they are working to make all responsible parties repair damaged roads ASAP," Baker said, when asked for comment.

"I plan to meet with the District Engineer of 3-0 that is in charge of about 10-12 counties including Tioga and Bradford counties," he continued. "It is our annual legislative meeting to go over road and bridge projects and to discuss local concerns and needs. I believe PennDOT will state that many of the problems will be addressed through legal maintenance contracts signed between local municipal governments (townships and or boroughs) and energy companies or sub-contractors to restore and repair damaged roads due to heavy trucks and equipment traversing secondary roads."

He added: "What has complicated matters right now is the combination of freeze-thaw temperatures, heavy truck-equipment usage, poor base support of secondary roads, and the fact that most, if not all, asphalt plants currently are not in operation right now as the construction season is still at least another month away. Perhaps some of the local contractors and quarries are getting early work orders, but that is limited."

State Rep. Tina Pickett also indicated she was addressing the matter, but attempts to reach her for further comment Monday evening were unsuccessful.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.