Residents, communities push Allegheny County for Crawford Run Road fix

Greg Yaworski is tired of waiting for someone to fix Crawford Run Road.

“You’ve got to (drive on) the other side of the road or you’re going to blow your car up,” said Yaworksi of East Deer, who lives along the road.

And he isn’t alone.

Drivers using the road are complaining to their local governments, concerned about the number of potholes.

The narrow, windy road spans three municipalities: East Deer, Frazer and Indiana Township. Drivers can’t go too far without sinking their car into a pothole or swerving to avoid them.

Local municipalities have been fielding calls from residents who want to know when the road is going to be fixed, but they are limited in what they can do because the road is owned and maintained by Allegheny County.

The road is traveled not only by the dozens of people who live on it, but also people trying to get to the Pittsburgh Mills mall.

The road connects with Butler Logan Road, which takes drivers to the back entrance of the mall. County officials said, depending on the section, 340 to 2,800 drivers travel on the road daily.

Frazer Supervisor and Secretary Lori Ziencik said she has been passing the complaints along to the county and pushing for something to be done.

“It needs some major repaving,” Ziencik said. “They’ve been putting Band-Aids on that road for years now.”

County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said the county repaired the road in 2017, but this winter took a toll on it. He said it’s received normal wear and tear.

The county has done some cold and hot patching this year but plans to repair it further during the summer paving season.

“We are continually assessing its condition and will make further adjustments, as needed, to ensure the road is safe for drivers,” Shanley said.

Ziencik said it’s the same story every spring and they always end up with complaints and push the county for repairs.

“It’s the same predicament, if not worse, every spring,” she said. “We always say we are the forgotten part of Allegheny County.”

Another resident, Frank Maudhuit, isn’t impressed with the work that’s been done so far because so many potholes are left to fix. He likened the road to something you’d see in a war zone.

“It is full of holes,” he said. “The road is bad all the way out.”