https://archive.triblive.com/local/westmoreland/latrobe-moves-forward-with-curb-ramp-improvements/
Latrobe moves forward with curb ramp improvements
Traffic waits to turn right from Depot Street onto Ligonier Street on Aug. 27, 2018, in Latrobe. At left is a curb at the intersection that city officials are considering grinding down to make it easier for handicapped pedestrians to get onto the sidewalk.Traffic waits to turn right from Depot Street onto Ligonier Street on Aug. 27, 2018, in Latrobe. At left is a curb at the intersection that city officials are considering grinding down to make it easier for handicapped pedestrians to get onto the sidewalk.
Latrobe Council is moving forward with a temporary fix for handicapped-access curb ramps at two downtown intersections.
Council on Monday authorized its public works department to regrade seven ramps, some near the city municipal building at Jefferson and Main streets and others at Ligonier and Depot streets.
Based on an initial estimate, public works director Mike Gray said the work should cost between $3,500 and 4,000. After council’s vote of support, he said he’ll obtain more specific quotes from prospective contractors.
Those ramps and others at a number of Latrobe intersections are set for an upgrade to current standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as part of improvements PennDOT plans to make next year.
But council voted not to wait, after city resident David Moyher said he is unable to cross over the curbs in his wheelchair.
“The curb ramp is going to be ground down flush with the gutter,” Gray said. “There will be cement work done in places, to patch any of the existing cement that’s broken apart. It’s going to be graded down so the slope does’t exceed 13 percent.”
Councilman Robert Forish cast the sole vote against the project. He believes the cement patches won’t last through the winter and will have to be replaced in the spring at an additional cost.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.
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