News

November 11, 2009

Project woes aired in Duryea

IAN CAMPBELL Times Leader Correspondent

DURYEA – Council was asked Tuesday to address problems on McAlpine Street, stemming from a combined Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce project.

A number of residents noted that both the site contractor, Popple Construction, and the project engineer, Reilly and Associates, had been uncooperative when it came to residents’ access to their properties.

One resident said the contractor had taken over part of her property without permission in order to park heavy construction machinery.

She told the meeting that on several occasions she had been unable to leave her property due to construction traffic.

It was only after she called Duryea Mayor Keith Moss that she was able to get a medical issue resolved earlier Tuesday, she told council.

Four families had been impacted by the problems created by the long running construction project, council was told.

The other issue that had emerged from the construction work was a serious flooding problem in the area, residents told council.

Water was flowing down residents’ driveways and into garages on Miller Street in part because street drains were not added to the project.

Resident Lorraine Henrich suggested the Miller Street problems should be studied before the ice that forms in wet weather becomes a major hazard.

In recent rains, the street has not been passable to walkers, she told council.

Residents had asked the engineers to address the runoff issues, but it seemed that whereas the problems at business locations had been dealt with, elderly residents concerns had been ignored, council was told.

Council President Al Akulonis told the residents that this was the first the borough had been told of the problems, and would arrange a meeting with the PennDOT and the chamber.

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