With unexpected savings of federal stimulus dollars, state transportation officials aren't planning to keep the change.
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Instead, a 10-mile stretch of Route 30, between Route 896 and Route 897, may be getting a fresh layer of pavement.
The resurfacing project had not been on the list of five road and bridge projects, totaling an anticipated $25.5 million, approved in March.
But officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are proposing the repaving after cost savings on the resurfacing of Route 222, Bushong Road to Ephrata. That project was expected to cost $15 million. Instead, the low bid on the work came in at less than $11.6 million.
Another $1.2 million was saved from the anticipated cost of a contract to repair 11 bridges in the region.
So, transportation officials went looking for a project that could be done quickly and easily and had that price tag.
"What large project do you have designed and ready to let, that's a $5 million project," Lancaster County Senior Transportation Planner David Royer said of PennDOT's situation.
Any unspent money would likely be reallocated elsewhere.
Transportation planners must move quickly. The federal law calls for the money to be allocated by the end of October.
State Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler is responding pressure to get that money into workers' wallets as quickly as possible to help the economy. He has set a goal for PennDOT to award contracts for stimulus-funded projects by the end of August.
That gives planners only weeks to do the engineering work and gain right-of-way and environmental clearances. For major projects, that work can take years.
The U.S. 30 repaving was chosen because it will require little planning work to make it "shovel-ready."
"We basically want to have a job as clean as possible," PennDOT District 8 spokesman Greg Penny said this morning.
The $5.2 million project would involve milling and repaving of the three-lane roadway in East Lampeter, Leacock Paradise and Salisbury townships.
Royer said approval to proceed is needed from members of the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee, which meets later this month.
Penny said that with a bid opening at the end of August, it will be late September before work could begin. PennDOT doesn't allow the top coat of asphalt to be applied after Oct. 15, so much of the final paving will likely be deferred until next spring, he said.
The U.S. 30 project was on an earlier list of projects being considered by state planners in February, before they knew how much Pennsylvania would receive from the federal stimulus bill. It was cut when a lesser amount was allocated.
Penny said additional projects may still be added to the funded list.
Bids have not been opened for a few projects slated for funding. The competitive bids have been consistently lower than anticipated, and may result in more savings to be reallocated, he said.
State officials have estimated about 30,000 construction and non-construction jobs will be created statewide with the help of the federal stimulus money. A majority of the projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2010, state officials said.
Staff writer Bernard Harris can be reached at bharris@LNPnews.com or 481-6022.
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