3 hours Ago By By David Hurst [email protected]
SALISBURY, Pa. – As she looked over a large map Wednesday, Jennifer Miller had her family farm on her mind and her family’s future at her side. The Greenville Township woman held her grandson, Maverick, at a PennDOT hearing in Salisbury while an engineer outlined plans to widen U.
S. Route 219 through the edge of her 352-acre farmstead. Soon, there was a look of relief in her eyes.
“I’d rather lose some of my woods than our croplands, and now it looks like we might not lose anything,” Miller said. Nearby, the highway project’s strongest Somerset County advocates also had reason for relief. Wednesday’s hearing was a chance to gather public feedback on the environmental impact that could be posed by PennDOT’s six-mile-long “preferred route” for a four-lane Route 219 from Meyersdale to Maryland.
During an hour-long session that drew 30 attendees, just two residents voiced comments. Neither gave testimony opposing the route, or even concerns. “We’ve waited for six decades – for safety, for business,” Meyersdale-area resident Martha Albright testified.
“We need this road.” Like Miller, Albright said the current proposal raised the possibility that she could lose a piece of her land. “But I’m willing to do that,” she told PennDOT and Army Corps of Engineers officials.
The hearing was part of a mandated process toward getting federal approval to select a final route, PennDOT District 9 Project Manager Mike Stone said. Before state transportation officials can submit their final route proposal, a 45-day window is mandated – with the hearing as a centerpiece – to enable the public to see the plan and weigh in, he added. “Tonight is about hearing from you,” PennDOT District 9 Executive Vince Greenland told the crowd.
Project engineering consultant Steve Moore, of Stantec Inc., said PennDOT’s approximately $353 million proposed route – called “E Shift Modified” on preliminary designs – would impact half as much farmland acreage, 38 acres, as another finalist. With just two bridges planned, the preferred route is also estimated at $100 million cheaper, state officials said.
It would impact no more than 10 acres of wetlands and displace up to eight residences and two commercial businesses, Stone said. Earlier proposals projected that 13 or more homes would be impacted. Those property owners would be compensated for their losses, PennDOT has said.
“Right now, we’re sort of drawing with a big crayon,” Stone said, calling the proposed impact a worst-case scenario. Some impacted properties, as Miller was told, may only need to grant a temporary easement during construction. Somerset County President Commissioner Brian Fochtman said county officials recognize that there’s a “price” to pay for progress.
No perfect route could be carved out without impacting someone. “Your sacrifices will not be taken for granted,” Fochtman said, speaking on behalf of the entire board of commissioners. The completion of a four-lane U.
S. Route 219 through Somerset County, from Greater Johnstown to Maryland, will bolster job opportunities and wages, and it will improve safety and travel times, Fochtman added. The board threw its full support behind the “E Shift Modified” proposal.
Fochtman said the road will bring long-sought “north-south connectivity” to the entire Southern Alleghenies region. Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky also attended the meeting. He said he wanted to make it clear that Cambria County supported the project and the efforts in Somerset County to see the work across the finish line.
“This is going to be a regional asset. We’ll all benefit,” Chernisky said. “In Cambria County, we’re connected to State College through I-99, Pittsburgh through (U.
S.) Route 22 ..
. and now we’ll be linked with Morgantown and Maryland, too.” Miller said she’s hopeful, too.
“This farm is where my grandchildren live, so I do hope this project will make a positive impact on our area,” she said. Wednesday’s hearing wasn’t the public’s last chance to review or share comments on the environmental impact study for the proposed route, also called a DEIS. It is on display at the following locations: • Meyersdale Public Library, 210 Center St.
, Meyersdale. • Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County in Grantsville, Maryland. • Somerset County Library, 6022 Glades Pike, Suite 120, Somerset.
• Mary S. Biesecker Public Library, 230 S. Rosina Ave.
, Somerset. The public will have until Jan. 13 to add comments or concerns for officials to review, a PennDOT release shows.
Stone said the hope is that federal officials will grant an environmental permit in the summer of 2025, enabling the proposed project to move toward right-of-way acquisition. The project remains on track for construction in 2029, he added..
