Road paving starts in spring

Road work starts in spring

Milling and asphalt paving planned on 16 roads in South Fayette

By Andrea Iglar

The road paving program proposed for South Fayette Township this summer involves 16 streets, including part of the driveway through Fairview Park.

Youngblood Paving, Inc. will conduct milling and asphalt paving on about four miles of roadway in Hickory Heights, Wood Creek, Fairview Manor and other parts of the township.

Work is expected to occur from April to August.

South Fayette issued paving bids earlier than usual this year, Township Manager John M. Barrett said.

“Ideally, we’d like to get all this work done in the summer months before school is back in session,” Barrett said.

The contractor is required to notify residents in advance when work is planned on their street.

The multistep paving process takes about two weeks on each street. The first step is to mill, or grind off, about 3½ inches of the top pavement. About a week later, a 2-inch binder course is applied. Finally, the roadway is topped with a 1½-inch layer of asphalt.

The resulting pavement may last up to 15 years, depending on the road’s traffic volume, water drainage, underlying soils and other factors.

“It’s the most comprehensive way to resurface the road,” Barrett said. “This should give us the longest life of a newly paved road that we could expect.”

After paving, the contractor will restore any road striping, wedge curbs and other features disturbed by the project.

In February, the Board of Commissioners awarded Youngblood Paving a $1.9 million bid for the 2023 road program. The contractor was the lowest responsible bidder of seven paving companies that vied for the contract.

The bid includes the estimated road paving costs, plus a contingency budget for unforeseen conditions and repairs.

About $149,000 earmarked for Recreation Road—the Fairview Park driveway—will be drawn from the capital fund for park improvements.

The portion of Recreation Road from Greenwood Drive to the gate near Field B will be paved. This is the only major stretch of the park driveway that has not been resurfaced in recent years.

To help ensure quality work, the paving program will be overseen by inspectors from Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co., Inc.

Prior to paving, the engineering firm will take photos and videos to document existing conditions.

The 2023 road list was based on several factors, including data gathered last year using RoadBotics, which uses artificial intelligence to assess video footage of roads and detect conditions such as potholes, cracks and potential road base failures.

Based on this information, RoadBotics rated the roads from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) to help prioritize paving. The scores are valid for several years. Overall, the entire road network scored at 2.06.

Based on RoadBotics and other information, Gibson-Thomas prepared a five-year paving guide. To determine each year's final program, the plan is reviewed and revised based on efficiency, cost-effectiveness and other factors.

Any of the listed streets that cannot be completed this year, due to weather or other factors, will move to the 2024 program.

For more information about roads, visit southfayettepa.com/roads.

Roads on paving list

Hickory Heights

Augusta Drive

Bayhill Drive

Cypress Court

Hickory Heights Drive

Muirfield Court

Oakmont Court

Pine Valley Drive

Wood Creek

Birch Court

Maple Court

Woodcreek Drive

Fairview Manor

Firwood Drive (section between Woodhaven Lane and 166 Firwood Drive)

Old Oak Drive (section between Washington Pike and Pinewood Drive)

Other areas

Marshall Road

Unnamed alley (loop) adjacent to Main Street in Sturgeon

Reed Street in Gladden

Recreation Road in Fairview Park (from Greenwood Drive to Field B)

Public Works Road Maintenance

In addition to the annual contracted paving program, the South Fayette Township Public Works Department conducts road maintenance.

Work this year includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Trimming overgrown trees and vegetation along roads and rights-of-way

Inspecting, cleaning, repairing and improving stormwater systems

Replacing guardrails

Installing road signs

Patching potholes

Sealing pavement cracks

Painting lines

Sweeping streets