Upper Drennen Road and Schafer Drive in Upper Burrell to close Monday for repairs

PennDOT projects will close Upper Drennen Road and Schafer Drive in Upper Burrell starting Monday.

Both projects cover secondary residential roads, which shouldn’t cause major disruptions, said Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker. The closures are several miles apart.

“It’s a temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement,” Walker said.

A section of Upper Drennen Road, about 200 feet east of Lower Drennen Road, will be closed from Monday until late this month, according to PennDOT.

Crews will repair road slides that have been problematic for years, Walker said.

Motorists can follow the marked detour route by driving from Merwin Road to Route 780 to Upper Drennen Road.

Schafer Drive work

A section of Schafer Drive, between Stoney Hill Road and Baxter Drive, will be closed for a bridge replacement from 7 a.m. Monday until late October, according to PennDOT.

The official detour is Melwood Road to Route 56 to Wildlife Lodge Road/Milligantown Road to Shafer Drive.

The $500,000 project will replace the current single-lane, open-grate steel bridge with a wider structure, according to Melissa Maczko, PennDOT spokeswoman.

Crews will demolish the existing bridge and replace it with a precast concrete box culvert and wing walls.

Walker is happy to see the bridge replacement, especially the widening of the structure to accommodate two vehicles at a time.

“The new bridge will increase the safety factor,” he said, “and will be a convenience improvement as well.”