Ground broken on $115M Frackville Grade reconstruction project, finally

FRACKVILLE — It’s been a long time coming, but the Frackville Grade improvement project on Route 61 was officially inaugurated Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony in the project staging area.

State Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, Rush Twp., used a Pennsylvania Dutch term to express the relief that was on the minds of state and local officials.

“Endlich,” said Argall, explaining that means “finally.”

Actually, Stage 1 of the five-year, $115 million highway improvement project had already begun. It is the largest road construction PennDOT has ever undertaken in Schuylkill County.

Even as Chris Kufro, PennDOT District 5 executive, stepped to the podium, the sound of construction vehicles could be heard working on the project.

Traffic in the northbound and southbound portions of Route 61 has been reduced to one lane as heavy equipment removed rocky outcropping to make way for the new road.

Much of the mountainside has been denuded, and powerful machines are crushing rock that will be recycled as road beds along the 4.2-mile project area.

The project, Kufro said, entails a full-depth roadway reconstruction, wider shoulders and rehabilitation of eight culverts and four retaining walls. It also includes upgrading of the Darkwater Road intersection in New Castle Twp., where turning lanes and a traffic signal will be added.

Robert S. Carl Jr., Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said that the project is the final link in the renovation of Route 61 from Molino to Frackville.

The initiative, which connects interstates 78 and 81, is critical to the county’s economic vitality, Carl said. Manufacturers and distribution hubs depend on access to both interstates, he said.

The chamber’s infrastructure task force, Carl said, gathered 100 signatures as part of an effort to have the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, funds released.

A $21 million INFRA grant, part of the federal government’s infrastructure program, got the project moving in 2021.

State Rep. Tim Twardzik, R-123, Butler Twp., heralded the elimination of steep curves, large rock outcroppings and inadequate shoulder widths on “the Grade.”

“This giant upgrade is not only a commitment to improving our roadways and infrastructure,” Twardzik said, “but also a dedication to enhancing the lives of the people within our community.”

Former state Rep. Neal P. Goodman said that he was a legislative staffer to state Rep. Ed Lucyk when the initiative to restructure the Frackville Grade began a generation ago.

“It took all of us to make this happen,” said Goodman, who retired from office in 2020. “It shows what can be done when people put personalities and politics aside and work for the best interests of the community.”

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Rep Dan Meuser were credited with playing a role in providing federal infrastructure funding. Argall and Twardzik were also commended for their support.

Schuylkill County commissioners Larry Padora, chairman, Barron L. “Boots” Hetherington and Gary J. Hess were among the guests present at the groundbreaking.

The event kicked off the construction season in PennDOT District 5, based in Allentown, which covers a six-county region.

PennDOT, Kufro said, is investing $1.3 billion this year. In District 5, work on 1,155 miles of roadway and 157 bridges is planned this season.

In Schuylkill County, about $30 million in milling and paving projects are planned, including final stage work on the new $4.2 million Columbia Street Bridge in Schuylkill Haven.

Also attending the groundbreaking Wednesday were Patrick Caulfield, Schuylkill County Municipality Authority executive director; Mike Shay, a grants specialist on Meuser’s staff; and representatives of J.D. Eckman, the construction company on the Frackville Grade project.

Stage 1 of the project focuses on the northbound lanes. In 2025 and 2026, the second and third stages will reconstruct the southbound lanes.

The work includes drilling and blasting of certain areas, according to a project schedule.