A major roadway construction project was announced Wednesday for South Park Avenue and Ridge Road in Lackawanna.
The $2.5 million repaving project will stretch along South Park from the north city limit to the south city limit. Ridge Road will be refurbished from South Park to Abbott Road.
The rehabilitation project will include pavement striping, replacement of some concrete curbing and sidewalks, and ADA-compliant access ramps.
Lackawanna Mayor Jeff Szymanski says the road repairs are vital to the future strength of the city.
“To me, this is imperative to get this done. I don’t know if this winter is going to wreck as much havoc as it did last year, but with the patchwork that we did, I’m not so sure that the street is going to last any further than this spring," said Szymanski.
"We were really sweating bullets when the winter came through last year and now we’re really getting concerned because the work that we did was just enough to make it passable. If this money didn’t show up when it did we would be in a very critical situation.”
State Senator Tim Kennedy says the city has applied for additional funds through the state’s Transportation Alternatives Program to continue the project. He says if secured, officials will be able to fix sidewalks and curbs and make the roadways more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly.
“This has been years in the making and now Lackawanna is getting its fair share. It’s getting that critical investment of public sector dollars that are going to drive private sector investment and create jobs and help businesses relocate here. Most importantly, it’s going to invest dollars into key infrastructure road repairs and improvements on a commercial slip heavily traveled by thousands of individuals on a daily basis through the heart of the City of Lackawanna,” said Kennedy.
The construction project is being funded through the New York State Department of Transportation. The project is expected to begin in the spring of 2015.