On December 3, the Allegheny County Conservation District announced $203,888 in grant awards for dirt and gravel road improvement projects in four municipalities to reduce stormwater impacts and erosion.
The Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Program funds projects on or around roads that are unpaved or are paved and receive less than 500 cars per day in traffic. This program encourages Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance practices intended to improve interactions between roads, streams and ecosystems across the state.
“The road system can have a significant impact on our water quality when stormwater runoff causes sediment from unpaved or poorly paved roads to erode into a nearby stream,” said Riley Sunday, Agriculture Conservationist. “Each year, this program makes a difference in our community by minimizing erosion, preventing or repairing landslides and ultimately improving the health of our streams.”
Four Low-Volume Road (LVR) grants were awarded. Selected projects for the year are listed below:
-- South Fayette Township - $105,910 – Coal Pit Run (LVR) – Awarded funds will be used to replace and realign an undersized stream crossing and improve the passage of aquatic organisms. The award will also be used to stabilize the stream banks, which will reduce sediment deposition and help prevent the low volume road from sliding into the stream as the condition of the banks deteriorate.
-- Oakdale Borough - $38,163 – Clinton Avenue Extension (LVR) – Grant funds awarded to Oakdale Borough will be used to stabilize the stream banks along the north branch of Robinson Run. A french mattress under the road surface and underdrain placed along the road ditch will also improve the flow of surface water and decrease negative impacts to the stream.
-- Borough of Coraopolis - $46,850 – Euclid Avenue (LVR) – The grant awarded to the Borough of Coraopolis will be used to improve surface drainage on Euclid Avenue, where a landslide occurred earlier this year. The drainage improvements will protect the Borough’s investment and increase the quality of the road.
-- Bradford Woods - $12,965 – Willow Road (LVR) – Funds received from the DGLVR grant program will expand on a previous Willow Road project awarded in the 2017-2018 grant cycle. This project involves replacing a cross pipe along the road and adding new headwalls and rip rap with the goal of improving and protecting water flowing into a tributary of Pine Creek.
Low Volume Road Program applications were received from municipalities across the county. Each application was reviewed for its adherence to program parameters, application detail, environmental impact and projected cost.
Next Round
Dirt and Gravel Road applications will be accepted until January 15, 2020. Interested municipalities should contact ACCD for project eligibility.
The Allegheny County Conservation District Quality Assurance Board met on Oct. 7, 2019, and selected funded projects, which were later approved for funding at Allegheny County Conservation District’s board meeting on October 23.
For more information on this program, visit the Allegheny County Conservation District Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Program webpage.
Funding for this program comes from the Motor Vehicle License Fund which annually appropriates $35 million for use by conservation districts through the State Conservation Commission-- $28 million-- and DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry-- $7 million.
For more on the statewide program, visit the State Conservation Commission Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Program webpage.
Visit the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies for resources and training opportunities to prevent erosion and stormwater damage to dirt, gravel and low volume roads.
Related Article:
[Posted: December 3, 2019] www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com
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