A street in Coaldale will receive much needed improvements, thanks to funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The street, known as Klines Hill Road, provides additional access to the St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus.

“Coaldale Borough has been waiting five years for this project. This will link our town with a safe driving and walking area,” said Claire Remington, president of the Coaldale Borough Council.

An event to announce the project was held Monday, and brought representation from the borough, St. Luke’s, NEPA Alliance, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and ARC.

ARC recently awarded $221,276 to the borough for the project on Klines Hill, which is also a portion of West Phillips Street. The grant will be combined with a previous grant award of $423,442 for a total of $644,418 in ARC grant funding.

Coaldale borough has been working with St. Luke’s to develop the project. Through it, an approximate ¼ mile of the road will be improved to provide better patient, employee and emergency service access to the hospital.

The improvements will support more than 51,000 patients who visit the hospital annually, and will allow for the creation of 25 new jobs.

Remington expressed her thanks to those involved with the project, noting that they “went beyond the call of duty to make this dream come to reality.”