The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has decided to rebuild Kennedy Drive in McAdoo because it is in such poor condition, a PennDOT official said.

Christopher Kufro, assistant district executive for design for PennDOT's Allentown district office, said just paving the street, which is also Route 309, didn't make sense because it has deteriorated."We just felt that trying to do mill and fill - where we mill off a certain amount, and repave - based on the condition of the existing concrete and the drainage issues, we weren't going to get a lot of life out of it," Kufro said."The concrete is about 100 years old. It needs more work, so we felt this is the time to get in there, fix the drainage, take out the old concrete, redo the subbase and build it back up the right way up to current standards."The 1.2-mile reconstruction is estimated to cost $8.5 million, Kufro said."The project will be a complete reconstruction of 309 going through the borough," Kufro said. "It will be full-depth pavement reconstruction, with drainage improvements, curb ramps, new signals and new curbing where existing curbing is now."Curb ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be installed at all four corners of each intersection, complete with rubber pads to help sight-challenged people, said Jason Besz, project manager for Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. engineering and construction services, PennDOT's primary design consultant for the project.The job will take about a year and a half, Kufro said."The project is expected to start in the summer of 2018, with most of the drainage and curbing work - a lot of the storm drainage being replaced - and temporary traffic detours," Kufro said. "The majority of the work will happen in the summer of 2019."The project will begin from where crews paved a section of Route 309 just before Audenried last year, south through the borough and under the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad bridge just south of Kelayres Road."The intention is to get to the ramp with (Interstate) 81," Kufro said.Besz said it has not been determined if the project will begin to the south and go north, or vice versa.Safety improvements will also be made to the piers and abutments of the railroad bridge, Besz said.Residents asked questions of PennDOT and Greenman-Pedersen personnel for about 45 minutes.One concern was with traffic lights. There are three along Kennedy Drive, at the borough's main intersection at Blaine Street, plus at Monroe Street and Grant Street.Christine Frey of Greenman-Pedersen said the signals at Monroe and Grant streets do not meet modern guidelines, but only borough council can remove them.Council members will be furnished with the costs of operating the signals if they are upgrade, since the borough will be responsible to pay for their maintenance, and then council can make a decision to keep them or get rid of them.Crews will build about 500 feet - or about two blocks - of the project at a time, Besz said. Traffic will either be reduced to one lane, or detoured around the construction area altogether. Detour routes have been outlined, Besz said.Originally, the plan was to repave eight miles of Route 309, from the Carbon County line just north of McAdoo near Audenried, through the borough south to Ye Old Dam Road in Rush Township, just south of Ginthers Corners.The session was held at the beginning of McAdoo Borough Council's monthly meeting.