Fox Chapel to spend more than $1 million to rebuild 10 roads this year

Michael Divittorio | Tuesday, April 19, 2022 10:16 p.m.

Fox Chapel Council has approved spending more than $1.3 million to rebuild 10 roads this year.

Ten Fox Chapel roads are expected to be rebuilt this year as part of the borough’s road paving program.

Council unanimously voted April 18 to award a $1.369 million contract to Wampum-based Youngblood Paving. Borough Manager Gary Koehler said the company was the lowest of four bidders and has done quality work in Fox Chapel in the past.

Roads to be repaired include:

• St. James Place, from Windsor Road to Valley Drive;

• East Waldheim Road, from Delafield Road to Alpine Circle;

• The Maples, from Delafield Road to East Waldheim Road;

• Longfellow Road, from Guyasuta Road to the cul-de-sac;

• Buckingham Road, from Guyasuta Road to Hunt Road;

• Shannon Drive, from Fairview Road to the cul-de-sac;

• Springhouse Lane, from Fox Chapel Road to the cul-de-sac;

• Glenhaven Lane, from Field Club Road to Springhouse Lane;

• Riding Meadow Road;

• Fox Top Drive.

The borough will spend $1.166 million of its funds to complete the work. An additional $175,000 will come from bond funds and $27,800 from utility pavement repairs. Utility companies are expected to reimburse the borough once that work is completed, the manager said.

The borough allocated about $1.234 million for paving this year.

Koehler said this project is the final year of a 15-year road rebuilding plan.

Koehler, engineer Kevin Brett and the public works staff examine roads on the paving list each spring to see if any sustained winter damage and needed to be re-prioritized.

“We have a complete road rating schedule that looks at multiple items,” Koehler said. “From that road rating schedule, we determined which roads to pave each year. After this year, a majority (of our roads) have been rebuilt with catch basins and proper drainage.

“You don’t want a road to break up too poorly because it costs a lot more to fix a road when it’s completely lost. You might have to do a road a year or two early due to winter conditions.”

Paving may begin in July. It’s unclear how long the work will take.

Koehler said the focus in the coming years will shift to road maintenance, which is expected to include less extensive repair work and free up about $300,000 in future budgets.

Council Vice President Harrison Lauer commended the administration and the public works department for their teamwork in planning road projects.

“Roads are a very high priority for the borough, and I think we’ve done a very good job. Over the past 15 years we sort of caught up and upgraded nearly all of the roads in Fox Chapel. That’s a really good thing.”