ORWIGSBURG, Pa. — Trucks driving down Industrial Drive in Orwigsburg are in for a bumpy ride. The road leads to 11 different businesses, but there are potholes in the pavement before it turns to gravel.
The conditions mean more wear and tear on Bartush Sign's company vehicles.
"The suspension, the tires, the dirt, the dust, it just gets over everything," said Jerry Freiwald, Bartush Signs vice president.
But a new project aims to fix those issues. Orwigsburg Borough received a grant for more than $800,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission to make upgrades.
One of the project's main goals is paving Industrial Drive so deliveries can come through faster and the roadway won't wash away during storms.
"As soon as you patch the holes in another month they're back again," Freiwald said.
Orwigsburg Borough Manager Randall Miller said the project will add sidewalks and improve drainage while extending water and sewer lines.
"There are floodplain issues, there are wetland issues, but I don't think any of it is insurmountable and we're that this is the start have a good opportunity for the borough," he said.
Miller hopes the upgrades give a boost to existing businesses and can help attract new ones. The project is expected to bring at least 300 more jobs to the area.
Miller said Orwigsburg-based company Clearly Clean has plans for expansion.
"They could do other things in the future in that area and possibly develop the vacant land that we have," Miller said. "That would certainly bring more jobs locally into the economy here."
With an improved infrastructure, Bartush Signs expects to add personnel too.
"We've been expanding and expanding," Freiwald said. "We would like to eventually all get under one roof down here, which would be tremendous."
Freiwald hopes once it's complete, the new project can pave the way to more success.