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PennDOT Recycling Asphalt in Monroe County

JACKSON TOWNSHIP — Camp Akiba Road near Long Pond is getting repaved, but not with traditional paving materials. PennDOT is using recycled asphalt paving ...

JACKSON TOWNSHIP -- Camp Akiba Road near Long Pond is getting repaved, but not with traditional paving materials.

PennDOT is using recycled asphalt paving or "RAP" on nearly four miles of two lower traffic roads in Monroe County.

Crews were laying the eco-friendly material outside Patricia Smith's home in Jackson Township.

"We were watching them come from the hill all the way down. It's fantastic the little machine whatever it is. They came down and roll it, roll it, roll it. I think it looks good," said Smith.

The project is part of PennDOT's Road Maintenance and Preservation Initiative.

Materials come from "ground up old pavement" taken from other roads.

A majority of this pile came from work being done on Route 611 in Mount Pocono.

Normally PennDOT wouldn't keep this left over paving waste. This new process allows them to keep it, reuse it and save tax payer money.

PennDOT officials say this project will save tax payers almost $340,000.

"It saves the taxpayer in the long run, and it improves roads we normally wouldn't be focusing on," said George McAuley, PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration.

Officials say the roads were chosen based on poor quality ratings.

"The regular maintenance we do helps to preserve the road for a long duration, but it doesn't do a whole lot to fix the quality and smooth things out. Tools like these are much more economical to make those improvements," said McAuley.

Residents call this technique a win, win.

Not only are they getting better roads, but materials aren't going to waste.

"They used to, sometimes they would bring it here to the farm and get rid of it but here they are using it over," said Smith.

The four-mile project is expected to be complete in a few weeks.

Officials say money saved will go towards other road maintenance improvements.

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