2019 Resurfacing Projects to Resume in City

UPDATE 9/17/19 – Final paving on West Walnut Street (Phase I, from Water Street to College Avenue) will begin on Wednesday, September 18 and will be finished the following week. Milling, base repair, leveling, and final paving on East Walnut (Shippen Street) to West Walnut (Water Street) will now begin on Monday September 30 and continue for about two weeks, and will be followed by line striping. Please note that the change in the schedule is to the eastern leg of the work (Phase II). The contractor is finishing up a PennDOT project before mobilizing to East Walnut.

Please note that all work is weather dependent and schedules may change or shift accordingly. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Beginning Monday, September 9, contractors will mill Ann Street (Juniata Street to Susquehanna Street) and the remaining portion of Juniata Street (Ann Street to Stevens Avenue). Base repair, leveling, and overlay will follow. Work should take approximately one week with weather cooperation.

Walnut Street resurfacing will be completed in two phases – first Water Street to College Avenue, and then Shippen Street to Water Street.

Beginning Monday, September 9, contractors for the Bureau of Water (PACT One) will finish their trench restorations on East Walnut Street in advance of the second phase of the resurfacing project.

West Walnut Street milling will start on Tuesday, September 10 at Water Street and proceed west towards College Avenue. Milling will take approximately 3 days to complete. Milling will be followed by base repair (approximately 2 days), scratch coat/leveling (approximately 2 days), and then overlay (approximately 3 days) from Water Street to College Avenue. Line striping will then take several days to complete. The work will take approximately 13 to 15 working days to complete, and is generally scheduled Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On approximately Tuesday, September 17, milling is expected to start on East Walnut street from Shippen Street to Water Street. This area of Walnut Street will be milled (3 to days), and then receive base repair (approximately 2 days), scratch coat/leveling (approximately 2 days), and then overlay (approximately 3 to 4 days). Line striping will then follow. The work will take approximately 15 to 18 working days to complete, and is generally scheduled Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

During this project, line striping will be removed and revised from Broad Street to Shippen Street in order to implement the westbound bike connection as part of the city’s overall bike infrastructure installations under the adopted Active Transportation Plan. A westbound bike lane will be installed from Broad Street to College Ave under this project.  

Widespread parking and lane restrictions should be expected during weekday work hours for the dates and durations noted above. Residents and visitors are advised to obey all posted signage, as towing will be enforced. Commuters and visitors should expect significant travel delays during the resurfacing work. Intersecting side streets may experience short-term closures and detours as work progresses through intersections. There will be periods where both phases of Walnut Street will be under construction simultaneously, and motorists are advised to seek alternate westbound routes, such as Lemon Street or Orange Street.

During the work on Walnut Street, contractors will also be milling and paving Seymour Street (Queen Street to Fairview Avenue). This work is tentatively scheduled to begin on or around Friday, September 13 and will take 7 to 9 business days to complete.  

Any questions on this information should be directed to Matt Metzler, Deputy Director of Public Works, at (717) 291-4777 or mmetzler@cityoflancasterpa.gov.

HELPFUL DEFINITIONS

Base – Pavement is composed of layers: beginning with the subgrade at the lowest level, then often some aggregate right above it, and finishing with many layers of asphalt on top.  When the term “base” is used, it usually refers to the deepest layer of asphalt, right above the aggregate.

Milling – The process of using a milling machine to remove a section of pavement. Milling is often used to recycle a road surface, the removed pavement then ground up as aggregate for fresh concrete.

Overlay – The process of paving another layer of asphalt over existing pavement. 

Leveling Course –  Sometimes called a “scratch course,” leveling course means to place a varying depth of asphalt to eliminate depressions or other irregularities in the surface prior to performing overlay.