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With the new construction for the South Valley Parkway and the six roundabouts in the Nanticoke/Hanover Township area, road closures and detours are to be expected.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)’s traffic impact summary from Jan. 29 shows Dundee Road, which links South Main Street to the Sans Souci Parkway, will be closed from May 2016 to May 2019, accounting for the longest of the closures anticipated by the agency.

According to Chris Tomaszewski, assistant liaison engineer for PennDOT and the South Valley Parkway project manager, the road will “be used as a haul road — a road used to carry trucks— to build the new roadway.”

“This is in the heart of the project,” said Sam Guesto, Hanover Township manager. “The effect to our citizens that use the road for travel may be moderate.”

Guesto said the notice was anticipated and the township was notified of the closing early last week.

Tomaszewski said drivers could use state Route 29 during the closure of the road. A detour using the Sans Souci Parkway where drivers can take Ashley Street to Main Street/Middle Road is in place. Using the Sans Souci Parkway, drivers can take Ashley Street to Main Street/Middle Road.

“The detour will be about five miles (if you drive the detour from start to finish).” Tomazewski noted.

Guesto was assured PennDOT will reconstruct the closed portion of the road when the project is complete.

The summary states of other closures is:

• Espy Street, closed from April to August 2016

• Prospect Street, closed from March to October 2017

• Middle Road, west of Koscuizsko Street, closed September 2017 to August 2019

• Koscuizsko Street, closed from March to June 2019

• Middle Road, at exit 2 over state Route 29, closed August to October 2019

Each of the aforementioned closures has its own separate detour.

Nanticoke’s Interim City Manager Donna Wall said, “It will definitely be a big inconvenience for the people living in the Hanover section of Nanticoke and for people traveling to that section of town.”

The dates are not set in stone and weather can be a factor in delays. “The contractor will do their best to meet those start dates,” Tomazewski said.

Tomazewski explained, “There are items in the contract that once an intersection is closed, the contractor only has a certain amount of days to reopen or be assessed liquidated damages,” which is payment for breech of contract.

By Melanie Mizenko

[email protected]

Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko