The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in McKean County the week of August 4. 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:
Line Painting
- Route 6 near the intersection of Route 219 at Lantz Corners in Hamlin Township. Monday, August 4, through Friday, August 8. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.
Each year, PennDOT line painting crews apply more than 1.6 million gallons of yellow and white waterborne traffic line paint to highways to help guide motorists. PennDOT paint crews focus on road and highway dividing lines but also paint railroad crossing markings, arrow directional markings, and legends such as STOP markings. Beads made of recycled glass are simultaneously applied to the wet paint, making the markings visible at night to motorists because these glass beads are retroreflective.
Manual Patching
- Route 46 between Route 219 in the City of Bradford and Route 646 in Foster Township. Monday, August 4, through Friday, August 8. 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 219 between Route 6 in Hamlin Township and the Elk-McKean County line in Sergeant Township. Monday, August 4, through Friday, August 8. 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.
Surface Treatment
- Route 46 starting at the split with Route 446 and continuing northbound toward Rew for approximately seven miles. Monday, August 1. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control during daylight hours.
Commonly known as “oil and chip” or “sealcoat,” this operation is a preservation strategy used to maintain mainly low-traffic-volume roads for five to seven years. It is also used on high-volume roads to extend pavement life between resurfacings. Generally, it takes stones about two days to fully bond in the hardened asphalt. Motorists should reduce their speed on these roads until the stones fully adhere to the asphalt. This maintenance seals the road surface to keep water out, restores the friction of the surface to enhance traction, and is very cost-effective.
Vegetation Management
- The entirety of Route 219 in McKean County. Monday, August 4, through Wednesday, August 6. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.
- Route 770 between Route 59 in Lafayette Township and Route 219 in Bradford Township. Thursday, August 7, and Friday, August 8. This work takes place off the roadway and has minimal, if any, traffic impact, however PennDOT still urges drivers to exercise caution when passing crews working along the shoulder.
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.
For more information on PennDOT’s maintenance activities, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/about-us/maintenanceactivities.
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