Latrobe delays vote on underpass rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of Latrobe’s railroad underpasses will have to wait a few weeks longer, as city council this week tabled awarding bids for the project.

City manager Mike Gray suggested council act on three contracts — for concrete repairs, painting and electrical work — during a special meeting to be held at the beginning of its Aug. 24 agenda preparation session.

The delay was needed to verify that one of the bidders was qualified to work on the project under PennDOT funding guidelines, he said.

Gray was surprised to receive just half a dozen bids combined for the trio of contracts. But, he noted, “It’s a specialized project. The painting has to follow Norfolk Southern (Railway) specifications.”

The painting scheme for rusting steel I-beam supports is part of project design assistance provided by the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program.

The design incorporates shades of maroon, gold and green historically associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad, which constructed the underpasses in 1901 on Ligonier, Jefferson and Alexandria streets.

The project also includes upgrading the cracked sidewalk and installing handicapped-accessible curb ramps.

The underpasses provide an unimpeded route beneath the railway for cars and pedestrians traveling between downtown Latrobe and the city’s northern end.

“They were so critically important to the town,” said Jarod Trunzo, executive director of the revitalization program. “They should be a bright spot.”

The project will replace existing lighting with more efficient LED versions in pendant-style fixtures that recall the early 20th century, he said.

The bids ultimately approved by council will determine how many of the three underpasses can be completed with Latrobe’s $100,000 grant from PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, Gray said. The city will be responsible for a 30% local match.