Road paving set in South Fayette

Road work starts in spring

$1.7 million earmarked for paving program in South Fayette

By Andrea Iglar

The road paving program set for South Fayette Township this year involves 14 streets and two parks.

Mele & Mele & Sons, Inc. of Braddock will conduct milling and asphalt paving on more than 3 miles of roadway in Abele Business Park, Fairview Manor and other areas of the township.

A new, 26-space public parking lot will be paved in Boys Home Park.

Paving also will occur at a new salt shed facility in Fairview Park, at the corner of Mayview Road and Recreation Road.

Work starts in April.

"We've been consistently starting our paving early to ensure all of the work gets done quickly and efficiently," Township Manager John M. Barrett said.

The $1.7 million paving program includes $.1.5 million from the general fund paving budget.

Another $100,000 comes from the Public Works capital budget for the salt shed facility.

The balance is an insurance payment from WM to repair damage caused by a garbage truck fire on Battery Drive North.

The paving contractor will notify residents before work starts on their street and post no-parking signs 48 hours in advance.

The multistep paving process takes up to two weeks on each street, depending on weather and the road surface.

The first step is to mill, or grind off, about 3½ inches of the top pavement.

About a week later, a 2-inch asphalt binder course is applied. Finally, the roadway is topped with a 1½-inch layer of asphalt wearing course.

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

Mele & Mele & Sons was the lowest responsible bidder of four paving companies.

Inspectors from Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co., Inc. will oversee the project. Prior to paving, the firm will take photos and videos to document existing conditions.

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

Public Works has been completing road repairs and storm inlet work to prepare for the paving contractor.

The paving plan was based on a five-year guide that Gibson-Thomas prepared, plus data gathered using RoadBotics, which uses artificial intelligence to assess video footage of roads.

To determine the final road list, the township reviewed and revised the information to account for efficiency, cost-effectiveness and other factors.

Any of the listed streets that cannot be completed this year, due to weather of other factors, will move to the 2025 program.

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

Roads on paving list

Abele Business Park

Abele Road

Emerson Lane

Old Pond Road

Villani Drive

Fairview Manor

Firwood Drive (from Woodhaven Drive to 166 Firwood Drive)

Greenwood Drive (from Woodhaven Lane to Firwood Drive)

Meadow Drive

Woodhaven Drive

Township parks

Boys Home Park: Additional parking lot

Fairview Park: New salt shed facility for Public Works at Mayview Road and Recreation Road

Other areas

Christine Court (from Lindsay Lane to Parkes Farm Drive)

Forbes Street (no-outlet off Hickory Grade Road)

Hunting Ridge Road

Pinch Road (from Dutch Hill Road to township line)

Scotch Hill Road (from Marshall Road to township line)

Battery Drive North (section damaged by a truck fire)

Public Works Road Maintenance

The South Fayette Township Public Works Department prepares roads and storm inlets for the paving contractor and performs additional road maintenance throughout the year.

Highlights include 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

• Remediating landslides

• Sweeping streets