No easy fix for Fox Stop Road in Fallowfield Township
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Fox Stop Road in Fallowfield Township has been closed for more than a year, but there is no relief in sight for residents who have been forced to use a 6 mile detour.
While the township has tried to upkeep the road in cost-effective ways, using stones and other methods, they have come to realize it is not a quick – or cheap – fix.
Last year, dozens of residents attended township meetings to express their concerns and frustrations over the road closure. The road closed in January 2019 after severe weather caused a significant shift in the roadway.
Despite their efforts, supervisors say they do not have answers.
While they have continued to pave, salt, plow and cut grass along the roadway, there is no money in the budget to make repairs.
Supervisors applied for a $250,000 Local Share Account grant this year to fix the road, but the application was denied.
Washington County Local Share Account money is generated from gaming revenue at the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in North Strabane Township.
Township Supervisor Earl Sadler said the problems date back more than a decade, but became too much of a safety hazard to keep the roadway open last year.
Currently, the problem lies on the north end of the road off of Old Route 71, where there is a 40-foot long lateral crack running along the edge of the roadway and a nearly 18-foot drop.
Last year, the township hired Geo-Mechanics Inc., an Elizabeth-based company, to do a geotechnical study of the road, but studies found that the repairs needed will cost six figures.
Resident Don Robison attended Wednesday’s meeting because he wants to see something done.
“It has been a year and a half and I think it is time for something to be done to help us get up on that hill,” he said. “I don’t know what the situation is but it seems to be at a stand still.”
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