Published: March 24, 2008 11:15 pm         

High oil prices could detour road projects

SALIX — The cost of petroleum-based paving materials has Adams Township leaders wondering how much road repair they can afford this year.

“I don’t know how much we can get done,” township Supervisor Dennis Richards said after Monday’s meeting. “We are definitely going to finish WPA Road this year.”

This is the third year for the WPA Road paving project, said Richards, the Adams Township roadmaster. He and the other supervisors will meet with a PennDOT representative next week to measure the remaining section. That information will be used to prepare a request for bids from contractors to do the work.

The rising price of oil has caused asphalt and delivery prices to skyrocket in the past few years. With state gasoline tax allocations relatively stable, municipal leaders say it’s difficult to keep up.

If enough paving money is left over after WPA Road work is complete, the township will work on resurfacing and drainage jobs on Oakridge Drive, Supervisor B.J. Smith said.

That won’t be welcome news for Carol Fern of Palestine Road, who previously urged supervisors to tackle another section of her street.

Potholes make the road a safety hazard, Fern said at the supervisors’ last meeting, noting many people use it as the main connector from Oakridge to Route 160.

“It’s called saving lives,” Fern said.

“We have to cold patch there,” Supervisor Dennis Gdula said. “That’s the best we can do. It is a no-win situation.”

The price of blacktop has more than doubled, Gdula said.

“We are trying to concentrate on the main arteries, but we can’t do it all,” he said. “The best I can say is eventually we will get to you.”

The cost of roadwork was illustrated with the opening of bids Monday. Delivery charges alone are as much as 13 percent higher, and the cost of stone and antiskid material is up as well.

Supervisors were pleasantly surprised by tar-and-chip material bids by Jefferson Paving of Brookville. “They are actually lower than last year,” Richards said.

     

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