'Great December' Helped PennDOT Projects

Unseasonably warm weather in December wasn't just a nice way to avoid chilly winter temperatures. It also gave construction crews a chance to catch up on roadwork.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman  said in late December that work had ended on major paving projects for the year but that crews were still able to perform work on bridges, install guardrails and put up signs.

“It's been a great December for contractors and PennDOT to get projects done by the end of the year,” Struzzi said. “It's more construction in December than in recent memory, and that's good because we had a very wet spring and this lets them wrap things up.”

But even when temperatures are nice, rainy days are still not an ideal time for workers to be out on the road, Struzzi said.

“You have to take safety into consideration, as well,” he said. “If it's a dark, gloomy day, you don't want to put anyone out there with inclement weather.”

Struzzi said that the additional unexpected work accomplished this winter doesn't really save money, but it allows the state to move onto other projects that would have been pushed back.

Still, Struzzi doesn't expect PennDOT's run of good fortune to continue for much longer since the dreaded freeze-thaw season is about to begin.

“The weather (was) very cooperative (in December),” he said. “Anyone who lives in western Pennsylvania knows that the real winter months lay ahead.”

This article originally appeared on the .

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