An overdue update of the Route 119 corridor in Youngwood and repair of deteriorating sidewalks in Latrobe railroad underpasses were among 50 Pennsylvania projects that got a boost Friday with a combined $44.5 million in funding from the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

The $400,000 approved for Youngwood is designated for new sidewalks and updated traffic signals along Third and Fourth streets, which are the respective northbound and southbound lanes of Route 119. The grant will cover the borough’s contribution toward a PennDOT project that will reconstruct the two streets and add features meant to slow down speeding that is a top concern for the community.

“It’s a good day for Youngwood,” borough council President Scott Palmquist said Friday. “This multimodal funding helps us accomplish items such as the sidewalks being done on both sides of the road, north and south.”

The updated sidewalks will include handicapped-accessible curb ramps at intersections that will comply with regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Palmquist said the entire Route 119 corridor project, including reconstruction of the roadways between Burton Avenue and the intersection that provides access to Buncher Commerce Park, is expected to cost $20 million or more. It will mark the first comprehensive upgrade of that stretch in decades, he said.

According to PennDOT District 12 spokesman Jay Ofsanik, the project design calls for slight narrowing of the two travel lanes in each direction and the addition of “chicanes” — or “bumpouts” — slight curves in the edge of the road that will force motorists to weave back and forth as they travel through the town.

“Traffic will be moved from one side to the other several times,” Ofsanik said. “That and the narrowing should definitely have an effect,” prompting motorists to slow down through the corridor that is bordered by a mix of homes and businesses.

Also, the speed limit for northbound traffic on Third Street will be lowered from 35 mph to 25 mph, matching the limit in place for southbound traffic on Fourth Street.

Planning for the Route 119 upgrade, set to break ground in 2020, has been a cooperative effort with representatives from PennDOT, the county planning division and project engineers, Palmquist said.

Borough manager Diane Schaefer said the project will benefit from the new PennDOT Connects program that is meant to “enhance engagement with local governments when there are projects in their municipalities. That is a huge deal to municipalities.”

Project planners also have been working with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County and other utility companies, which are expected this year to begin moving lines that are in the project work zone.

“The word this year needs to be patience,” Palmquist said.

Latrobe was awarded $100,000 to enhance the safety and accessibility of three downtown railroad underpasses — on Alexandria, Ligonier and Jefferson streets — by replacing cracked and uneven sidewalks, installing curb ramps, cleaning and painting steel I-beams and railings, and updating lighting.

The lighting would be upgraded to LED fixtures.

“It’s more than just beautification,” city manager Wayne Jones has said of the project.

It is the second time the city has applied for multimodal funding to improve the underpasses beneath the Norfolk Southern main line.

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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