Export is now the proud owner of the short stretch of Italy Road where it passes through the borough.
As part of PennDOT’s Turnback Program, Export officials sought to take control of Italy Road, and have about $200,000 in state grant funding available to put toward work on the sewage lines beneath the road.
“That work will be put out to bid in the next few weeks,” council President Barry Delissio said. “We have two sewer grants that both need to be spent by the fall.”
As part of the Turnback Program agreement, PennDOT agreed to pay for upgrades to the road and its accompanying infrastructure, and in exchange the borough will take over maintenance for things like plowing, salting or future upgrades.
Delissio said residents living along Italy Road will be notified if they will be affected by any of the sewage work or eventual road work, which borough officials said may include removing the sidewalks along the eastern side of Italy Road, in order to widen the overall roadway.
Delissio said the borough would likely host a public meeting to take feedback on the plans for Italy Road.
He added that there have been infiltration issues with a sewer line running along Grant Street.
Delmont, along with the other communities whose sewage is piped to the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority, is subject to a state consent order to eliminate infiltration and inflow of stormwater into the sewage system.
“If you see the video from when they put a camera down in the pipe, it’s pretty amazing how much inflow is getting into the pipe,” borough Solicitor Wes Long said.
Delissio said the borough would likely pursue additional grant money to fix Grant Street’s sewer lines.
“In my opinion, it’s probably too (costly) for us to absorb right now,” he said.