North Huntingdon slide repair, Smithton rail crossing upgrade prompt detours

PennDOT plans to close a section of Route 993 in North Huntingdon to repair a landslide and a segment of Route 981 in Smithton for replacement of a railroad crossing.

The North Huntingdon closure is set to begin Aug. 8 and is expected to continue through late September. While Plum Contracting is making repairs, the road will be closed between Monroe and Walnut streets.

A marked detour will be in place, diverting traffic along Brownstown Road, Route 30, Adamsburg Road and Penn Manor Road.

PennDOT in June completed another slide repair in North Huntingdon, on Guffey Road between Turner Valley and Mickanin roads.

District 12 spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said PennDOT expects to award an additional contract for addressing other slides in the area.

Slides have been a major concern following a string of soggy weather that hit the region. District 12 officials estimated in April it would cost more than $4 million this construction season to repair major slides on state roads in Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington and Greene counties.

North Huntingdon officials expected to spend as much as $1 million to fix slides that affected several township roads last year. In May, the township finished repairs of two slides on Haywood Road. To complete the work, the road had been closed since mid-January between June Street and Baker School Road.

Tentatively beginning Aug. 19, Route 981 will be closed between Redrow and Mule Stable roads in Smithton while crews update the railroad crossing there. That work is expected to continue through Aug. 24, with motorists detouring along Fitz Henry Road, Interstate 70 and Route 51.