The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has unveiled preliminary plans for widening and realigning State Route 68 from Trout Run to Dolby Street.
Plans for the project, which includes displacement of properties, were posted online by PennDOT for public review and comment. Project engineer Kurt J. Kretchman said the online plans are preliminary and the final impacts could change.
The $6.6 million project, slated to begin construction in 2024, will include the addition of a turning lane to the entire span of roadway and the replacement of the bridge at Trout Run.
Traffic flow along the roadway – a main artery into Clarion – will be maintained during the project except during short-term flagging operations and potential short-term night/weekend detours.
Trout Run is the waterway near the entrance to Dollar General and the former Comet Food Warehouse plaza.
The existing bridge structure consists of an approximately 11-foot-long reinforced concrete slab, which will be replaced with a concrete box culvert with a proposed curb-to-curb width of 41 feet, 4 inches.
When finished, the Route 68 corridor between Clarion and the Clarion Mall will consist of three 12-foot-wide travel lanes (one lane in each direction and a center turning lane), with a pair of 2-foot-by-8-inch-wide shoulders with curb gutters.
Additional work to be completed will include guide rail updates, drainage improvements and utility relocations.
Kretchman said the schedule for relocating utilities will be announced at a later date.
“At the current time, several homes may be affected by displacements,” Kretchman said in an email.
Beginning near Dolby Street near Aldi’s, the widening work will draw property from mainly both sides of the road toward Clarion.
Near Clarion Animal Hospital, the widening shifts mostly to the east side of the roadway.
Traveling past Computer Support, including extensive drainage work at Water Run Road, the widening continues on the eastern side of the road but then begins to shift to the western side, with potential impacts to homes near Oakwood Acres Lane.
Past the former law office of Ralph L.S. Montana, the widening work remains mostly on the west side of the roadway to the Trout Run Bridge.