A majority of the buildings in downtown Galeton will soon
disappear as part of a two-year, $3.8 million road construction
project along U.S. Route 6 and Route 144.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials
announced that seven buildings, including two homes, will be
demolished in the borough during the work.
The project – which goes hand-in-hand with a multi-million
dollar sanitary sewer project – will also include drainage
improvements, the construction of retaining walls, lighting, the
installation of a new traffic signal, improvements to sidewalks and
roadway widening and paving.
PennDOT officials said work will begin on Monday, with a detour
in effect directing westbound traffic to Route 2002 (West Street)
and Route 1020 (Germania Street). Route 6 will be restricted to one
lane, allowing eastbound traffic to move through the work zone.
“Practically all the buildings on our main street will be gone,”
borough secretary Annie Caracciolo said. “The buildings aren’t
really safe anymore and PennDOT wouldn’t put in the new road if
they weren’t taken down.
“While it’s going to be very nice when it’s done, it will be
empty downtown.”
Officials said the buildings are vacant; of the two homes
involved, one resident had to move and was provided with a new
location to live through PennDOT. Caracciolo said about three
buildings each will be left standing on both the northbound and
southbound sides of the street.
“It will be visibly better and clean up the area,” Caracciolo
said of the project.
Among the structures being torn down include the former sites of
the borough library and police station, an auto parts store and
bank and appliance shop, among others. The library has been
redeveloped in another location.
The borough has a population of 1,095 residents, according to
Caracciolo.
Caracciolo said both the highway and sewer projects were being
planned at the same time; borough officials decided to go ahead and
complete the north side of the sewer line plan first to coincide
with the construction project. The sewer work was mandated by the
state Department of Environmental Protection.
According to PennDOT Community Relations Coordinator Marla
Fannin, the work zone measures just under a half-mile.
PennDOT Project Manager Steve Fantechi said the project began as
a betterment project, but was soon after upgraded to a capital
project, which is more detailed than just maintenance work.
“The initial idea was to fix up the main street and retaining
walls,” Fantechi said, “but after we got into a study on the walls,
we decided to remove the walls altogether and flatten the slope.”
Fantechi said only one current retaining wall will be extended.
Fantechi said the purpose of the retaining walls can be traced
back to the downtown businesses, some of which are upwards of 100
years old.
“Two buildings are actually falling down right now and their
foundations hold the roadway up,” Fantechi said. “They need to come
down to make sure the roadway is structurally fit.”
Fantechi said the street will be “reconstructed,” meaning the
roadway will be excavated and replaced with a new surface. The
utilities under the road will also be replaced.
Meanwhile, Fannin said part of the project will also entail
improving the intersection of routes 6 and 144, which experiences a
lot of truck traffic.
She said crews will likely center on demolishing the buildings
and work on some of the retaining walls and embankment during this
year’s construction season, which will stretch into the late fall,
weather permitting. Fannin said the entire project will be complete
by late August of 2008.
Another element to the project involves a separate detour for
bicycles – a rarity in a construction zone.
To move around the project, bike riders will use Sherman,
Hammond, Clinton and Mill streets before joining the westbound
detour of routes 2002 and 1020.
“Route 6 is known for its bicycle route,” Caracciolo said,
adding a portion of the new street will be allotted for bicycle
traffic.
The contractor for the project is A.L. Blades & Sons Inc.,
of Hornell, N.Y.
