JACKSON TOWNSHIP -- There’s money to repave a long overdue road in Luzerne County’s proposed 2018 budget.
Saying people in Jackson Township are ecstatic there are potential plans to repave Chase Road might not be strong enough. Residents said the road has caused problems for years, and now there might be a fix.
Plenty of people take the bumpy ride on Chase Road in the Back Mountain to get to work or go home. Soon, it could be smooth sailing.
The Newhart family has lived nearby for generations. They were happy to hear the news.
“It's actually about time because it's been like that for probably a good 15 years,” James Newhart said.
“Thank goodness, it's a blessing indeed! I'm very happy that they're going to do that,” Fran Newhart said.
Luzerne County manager David Pedri said officials have been trying for quite some time to get the job done.
“The Chase Road project is something that the county has been working on for years, working with PennDOT to find the proper amount of money to do this project the right way, and to work with landowners to work on right way easements,” Pedri said.
Overall the proposed budget calls for a two percent hike in property taxes, which should amount to about $12 a year for the average homeowner.
“One of the things we're most proud of is our 127 miles of roads and over 300 bridges. The county has to take care of these and we're looking forward to fixing some of these in the 2018 budget,” Pedri said.
Jackson Township resident Fran Newhart said the tax hike to pay for roads and human services doesn’t bother her.
“That's okay. I'm very easy and very outgoing with everything so, nothing bothers me in this world,” Fran Newhart said.
The county would pay for 20 percent of the fixes on Chase Road. PennDOT would pick up the rest of the bill.
Pedri said county officials are scheduled to vote on the proposed budget on December 10.