Published: May 09, 2009 10:52 pm      

PennDOT looks to acquire land for Route 219 project

PennDOT representatives will be in Somerset County this summer preparing property appraisals for right-of-way purchases needed to extend Route 219 from Somerset to Meyersdale.

Construction of the 12-mile section of highway had been in jeopardy last year after it was removed from PennDOT’s highway funding plan. A public campaign reversed that decision, and the state came up with $35 million needed to match the federal $350 million to get it ready for construction.

That’s the good news, members of the Greater Johnstown/ Cambria County Chamber of Commerce learned Friday.

The bad news is that another $35 million in state money is needed to match the estimated $350 million required for construction.

“We won’t be able to advance any construction until we have that money,” said Vince Greenland, PennDOT District 9 assistant executive for planning.

But officials hope the state will not bail out after half of the total project work is completed.

“We’re moving full steam ahead for a 2010 bid opening for 2011 construction,” Greenland said.

Completion of Route 219 continues to be a top priority for the chamber’s Regional Transportation Committee, Chairman Adam Henger said.

Along with 219 north and south, the committee continues to lobby for improvements to Route 56 in Bedford County and Johnstown’s West End.

“These continue to be our highest priorities,” Henger said.

Preliminary design and environmental reviews of the Route 219 project are complete, and final design is under way.

Right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation are part of this phase, Greenland said.

District 9 Executive Tom Prestash indicated Route 219 south of Somerset may be the last new highway in the area for a long time.

“You won’t be seeing Pennsylvania building new roads. We just don’t have the money,” he told chamber members.

What happens to Route 219 beyond Meyersdale remains in question, officials said.

The longtime plan was to extend the four-lane highway south to Interstate 68 in Maryland.

Pennsylvania’s eight-mile share of Route 219 to the state line carries a price tag nearly as large as the Somerset-to-Meyersdale link.

“We have the same issue as far as the state match. The project is on hold,” Greenland said.

Route 219 north likely will remain a two-lane highway to the Clearfield County line, but an improved alternate route is possible.

PennDOT officials said they continue to look at improving Route 36 north of Patton.

It would be posted as a Route 219 alternate route.

Sunset Road, a secondary highway linking routes 219 and 36, would be improved to handle increased traffic.

Improvements to Route 56 in the West End are scheduled to begin this year with the emphasis on curve reduction, intersection widening and signal light coordination, Greenland said.

Work also continues on a number of separate improvements on Route 56 from Cessna to Pleasantville, where the focus is on road widening, turning lanes and intersection improvements, Greenland said.