Westmoreland municipal authority expects $3 million price tag for Youngwood project

The $3 million cost to relocate and replace aging water and sewer lines in Youngwood is a bargain, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday.

The project is part of a PennDOT plan to reconstruct a three-mile section of Route 119 in the borough and will allow the authority to access pipes that are estimated to be more than 80 years old, according to authority business manager Brian Hohman.

The authority will pay 25 percent of the water and sewer line replacement costs with PennDOT funding the remaining 75 percent, about $9 million.

“If we had to pay for the project ourselves it would be double the cost, if not more. The lines there are old and had to be replaced and now we’re able to do it at a considerable discount,” Hohman said.

PennDOT will excavate the road to allow the authority access the pipes, which will be replaced and relocated where necessary. Manholes that dot portions of the road will be relocated to the side, Hohman said. PennDOT will repave the road as part of the $15-$20 million project, which is expected to be complete by 2023.