Murrysville looks ahead to planned capital projects

Murrysville will spend about $3.8 million on capital projects in 2026, a number that will jump substantially in 2027 and 2028, when the municipality undertakes two major bridge replacements.

Murrysville Council held a public hearing Tuesday for its 2026-30 Capital Improvements Plan, which is its guiding financial document for budgeting big-ticket projects.

The five-year plan anticipates a little under $24 million in spending that includes not only large-scale infrastructure like the Cal-Ken, Logan Ferry and Heather Highlands bridges, but also the replacement of aging fleet vehicles in the police and public works departments.

This year’s plan contains about 7% more spending than last year. Finance Director Jacie Milchak said that is largely due to an anticipated $520,000 expansion of the public works building.

“That will require a feasibility study that we’ve budgeted $20,000 for,” Milchak said. “Once we see the study, we’ll adjust the numbers accordingly.”

The lion’s share of plan funding typically goes to road projects. More than $1.5 million will go toward the annual municipal road overlay program, surface treatment, crack sealing and bridge repairs.

“The overlay program addressed about 30 different roads this year,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said.

Next year’s capital spending also will include $218,000 to purchase a new system for programming and coordinating traffic lights along Route 22.

“We’re using a platform, Rhythm, that has had some issues,” Milchak said. “When parts need replaced, they’re not readily available.”

Several of those parts have been for the roadside control boxes that coordinate individual traffic lights.

“That’s the biggest problem we’ve had,” Mayor Regis Synan said. “Vehicles have crashed and struck those control boxes. And until we get the parts to fix them — which is sometimes upward of six months — the traffic light reverts to the old (nonadaptive) system, and everyone hates it.”

Monroeville officials recently upgraded their stretch of Route 22 from the Rhythm system to the same sort of adaptive system Murrysville is considering, Nestico said.

“They’re controlled independently by each municipality, but we could coordinate them to work together,” he said. “That’s a long stretch of road, so I don’t know if it would all coordinate perfectly, but it’s something we could discuss.”

The municipality has applied for grant funding to help pay for the upgrades.

Gone from previous plans is the amphitheater at Murrysville Community Park, a project whose cost began ballooning during the pandemic and reached the point where council opted to set it aside for the time being to focus on more-pressing capital needs.

Other projects for 2026 include:

• Three new police vehicles

• A backhoe, dump trucks, a 1-ton pickup truck and 14,000-pound trailer for the public works department

• $140,000 in improvements to Heritage Park, including the replacement of playground equipment, a new safety surface, new pavilion roof and other repairs

• $35,000 in interior upgrades to the Murrysville Community Center

• New sidewalks at the Murrysville Municipal Building

• A feasibility study on the best way to expand the public works building

Milchak said the Capital Improvements Plan is a valuable tool.

“It gives us a way to look ahead, anticipate our needs and align our funding with the projects we want to get done,” she said.

Council will likely vote on the 2026-30 plan at its next meeting, set for 7 p.m. Sept. 3 at the municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. An agenda is available in advance at murrysville.com.