DALLAS — Starting Wednesday, motorists in the Back Mountain will experience traffic delays in the area of the planned Dallas roundabout while water lines are relocated.
Suez Water announced on Tuesday plans to begin saw-cutting the pavement in the vicinity of the five-leg intersection that involves Main, Lake and Church streets, Machell Avenue and state Route 415.
The company will close a section of Main Street to dig a hole in the middle of the street’s connection with the five-leg intersection, said James May, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
May said the road closure could last two to four weeks.
PennDOT is advising drivers to enter the area by use of Main Street’s intersection with state Route 309 near the Luzerne National Bank in Dallas Township.
Motorist leaving the downtown area — which includes Nahas & Donahue Orthodontics, Sue Hand’s Imagery, Verve Vertu Art Studio, Dallas Tap & Grille, Citizens Bank, Besecker Realty, Embellish and the Dallas Borough Municipal Building — should exit using Mill Street, which is a one-way street connecting with state Route 415.
“One of the downsides of a downtown project is the impact to businesses and residents,” May said. “The positive is the detours are short.”
Suez crews will begin the water-line relocation at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Work crews are expected to be on site between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for the next two weeks, according to a news release.
May said the saw-cutting process should take “about a week and a half,” depending on the weather.
Work crews will be on site during the month-long excavation process from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, the news release reported.
“Throughout the course of work, periodic detours will be in place and significant delays are anticipated,” the news release said.
The Dallas roundabout was first proposed in a 2005 Back Mountain Area Transportation Study done by Edwards and Kelcey. Its completion is dependent on the Upper Demunds Road realignment project in Dallas Township.
The realignment project will reroute Upper Demunds Road to connect with state Route 309 near the Dallas Township Municipal Building. The project also involves creating left turn lanes to West Center Hill Road and Hildebrandt Road.
