Harrison eyes reconstruction of eroded Harbison Street

A Harrison street that has eroded because of a lack of storm sewers is expected to be reconstructed in 2023.

The township commissioners have applied for a nearly $500,000 state grant to rebuild Harbison Street, which is marked with craters because of water runoff.

“This is to remedy a long-standing problem,” Commissioner Chuck Dizard said.

“Many years ago, the street was paved without an adequate subbase, and the pavement is now subject to cracking.”

Harbison Street is in the township’s 4th Ward, off Freeport Road and near Saxonburg Road. The entire length of the street is uneven because there is no storm sewer underneath, Dizard said.

“The rainwater runoff and what comes from the adjacent properties has nowhere to go but on the pavement surface,” he said.

The commissioners applied for a grant of just over $480,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

If approved, money will pay for a storm sewer and reconstruction of the road bed, along with paving.

“The whole road is so bad, it has to be removed the whole way down,” Commissioner Jim Erb said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing that happen.”

The commissioners also are applying for two more grants, both through the Allegheny County Community Development Block Grant program, for other improvements.

The township is seeking $48,000 to install ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act on four Freeport Road corners. The board also applied for nearly $195,000 to help with the township’s anti-blight effort. If approved, money would be used to raze several abandoned or unsafe structures in Natrona.

“This represents the ongoing commitment of the commissioners to secure public grant funding whenever we are able,” Dizard said.