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Freshly Paved Road Ripped Up Again

SCRANTON, Pa. — All they could do was laugh. Otherwise, the workers at Manci’s Collision Repair on Walnut Street in Scranton might cry. “Pave the st...

SCRANTON, Pa. -- All they could do was laugh. Otherwise, the workers at Manci's Collision Repair on Walnut Street in Scranton might cry.

“Pave the street and rip it up the next day. You just got to love it," said Joe Barnick.

Thursday, crews hired by UGI cut into asphalt only a week old.

"Yesterday right around 1:30, they start painting lines on the street, and I went into the manager Joe and said, 'Joe, you're not going to believe this, I think they're going to cut this street up!'" added Tony Nalaschi.

It feels like deja vu, just a different utility company. Pennsylvania American Water just paved after replacing a water main in 2017. This week was the first time drivers have had fresh pavement in about a year.

"They started Monday, finished Wednesday, and here we're digging it up," Barnick added.

Pennsylvania American Water says it usually coordinates work with UGI then shares the cost of paving. But, the water company told Newswatch 16 it had no knowledge of the gas company's plan to do work on Walnut Street.

"They're either sleeping at the wheel or they just don't care. But, ultimately, at the end of the day, I pay for it, you pay for it, and everybody else pays for because that's not right," Nalaschi said.

UGI tells Newswatch 16 they were surprised then Pennsylvania American Water paved Walnut Street last week. They expected the water company to wait until after UGI's replacement work was done. UGI plans to repave the street when it is finished.

Folks here on Walnut says that just feels like a waste.

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