HONESDALE -- Some people have noticed contractors ripping up fresh pavement along Route 191 in the Honesdale area. PennDOT says it’s because of utility work that’s out of their control.
It’s a smooth ride along a stretch of Route 191 just south of Honesdale. PennDOT freshly paved about six and a half miles of road just a few months ago. But as you take a closer look, holes are popping up all over.
Drivers say construction crews keep hanging around.
"It's not good in the morning when you're trying to get to work and you don't know that there's construction. It's a pain,” said Amy Munnich of Honesdale.
PennDOT officials say towards the end of their paving project, UGI notified them they would need to work on a gas line. The official notice came in May. PennDOT’s project ended in June.
Now that fresh pavement is getting ripped up.
"They tear it up. They pave it up and then they tear it up again, so it's very inconvenient. Things were not coordinated at all,” said Joanne Tagle of Honesdale.
Since UGI ripped up this road, PennDOT says it's their job to fix it, from the double yellow line, all the way to the shoulder.
Clark’s Sunrise Market owner Michelle Werner says it’s yet another project that will make it difficult for shoppers to visit her family’s store.
“Lots of traffic congestion because of road work going on, we're thankful for the people who wait in the traffic and actually come in and do business with us,” said Werner.
PennDOT says they already spent about $250,000 to $300,000 of taxpayer money per mile.
This second time, UGI will foot the bill, but drivers still have to put up with the project.
"That's the Pennsylvania state flower right, the orange cones? That's how you know it's spring and summer around here,” said Munnich.