Latest news with #Lucey-Noll
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State inspector providing insight as Inclined Plane project progresses, CamTran says
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – As the Inclined Plane has completed new phases of repairs, the Cambria County Transit Authority has called on a state inspector to examine the work to avoid the potential of future setbacks, the authority's director said. For a project that had to overcome a series of previous setbacks, the Department of Labor review provides added assurance that the work continues progressing on the right track, CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said And given the fact a Department of Labor inspector will eventually need to conduct a final 'commissioning' inspection before Inclined Plane cars can begin serving the community again, the ongoing reviews should help simplify that process, she said. 'We're being proactive. 'The inspector is able to take a look at what (components have been installed) – and recommend anything that might need to be tweaked,' Lucey-Noll said, noting that it should reduce the risk of future 'surprises' after construction is complete. The current completion date is targeted for fall, with CamTran aiming to have the landmark open to the public again by the end of 2025. Lucey-Noll discussed the project's ongoing work Wednesday after the board's monthly board meeting – and weeks after the last of the furnicular's refurbished metal sheave wheels were installed on site. Those wheels were a longtime sticking point to the Inclined Plane's progress over the past two years. At one point, inadequate wheels brought the project to a total halt and led CamTran to hire an engineering consultant to help CamTran solve the issue in 2024. As is, the wheels have passed 'all inspections,' including tension requirements, Lucey-Noll said. But the Inclined Plane operator's booth must be reinstalled and reconnected before cars can be moved from the station to continue additional examinations, she said. Contractors were working Wednesday along the top of the Inclined Plane, installing pressure-treated wood flooring for the upper deck where passengers wait to board. The operator's booth, which sits on top of the floor, should be back in place by the end of the week, Lucey-Noll told authority members Wednesday. She said she wasn't immediately certain how long it will take for the project's electrical contractor to rewire the booth for use. A new haul rope, which was approved by the board in March, also must be installed, but that isn't projected to arrive before late July at the earliest, Lucey-Noll said. She said the Inclined Plane's existing rope will likely be used as the project proceeds through construction in the meantime. As one example, Inclined Plane cars will need to be moved to finish a painting project, Lucey-Noll said. Two payments were approved to contractors Wednesday for past work. The project's general contractor, Mosites Construction, received $6,458 for site work completed this spring. Plant Services Group was paid an additional $160,077 for its work during the sheave wheel installation process. Budget approvedCamTran officials approved an $18.9 million budget for the coming year. That's up several million dollars from the current year's plan, but that's because of the added program the authority took on in 2025. Of the $18.9 million budgeted for expenses from July through June 30, 2026, Lucey-Noll said $3 million involves the countywide Medical Assistance Transportation Program. Through a partnership with a York company called rabbittransit, CamTran's program enables residents on Medicaid to receive no-cost transportation to Medicaid- billed medical appointments and pharmacies – assuming those recipients have 'transportation' listed as a plan benefit, CamTran officials have said. The program has been used extensively in recent months, with more than 7,000 trips logged in April. CamTran operates urban and rural bus services across much of Cambria County and employs 130 people. Its separate Inclined Plane budget was approved with a $1.1 million spending total. That reflects the fact the landmark won't be in operation until later this year, Lucey-Noll said.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
CamTran chief eyeing end of year for Inclined Plane to reopen
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The process of reinstalling the recently reviewed, polished and measured sheave wheels of the Johnstown Inclined Plane has gotten underway. The new grooved wheels had to be individually cast in order to fit into the system that was designed in the 1890s. Multiple issues with the sheave wheels have slowed the renovation of the Inclined Plane. In February, the Cambria County Transit Authority, which owns the historic hillside railway system, approved $1.68 million in change orders to repair the six sheave wheels and two safety sheave wheels. CamTran did not need to use any of its funds to cover the extra expenses. Getting the wheels in place is part of an overall plan to get the long-idled Inclined Plane, a Johnstown-area landmark that connects downtown Johnstown to Westmont Borough, operational again. 'Our target (to have the rehabilitation work done) is sometime in August,' CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said during an interview after the board's regular meeting Friday. 'Like the end of the summer, we would have the project completed, and then we start our commissioning process and then also our training, so it won't be until the end of the year that we would see the Incline reopen.' 'Happy to be able to help the community' Also during the meeting, Lucey-Noll provided an update about CamTran taking over the county-wide Medical Assistance Transportation Program Tuesday. The service provides free rides to Medicaid recipients for medical purposes such as doctor visits and prescription pickups. 'We're very happy to be able to help the community out,' she said. 'Again, the opportunity to provide more efficient transportation in the community for services is very important in what we do and what we want to do to help people.'
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CamTran approves bid to replace Inclined Plane haul ropes as project progresses
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Cambria County Transit Authority approved a $559,777 bid Friday to replace haul ropes at the Johnstown Inclined Plane. It was another sign of progress for a more than $16 million rehabilitation project that is back underway at the historic funicular railway, with the goal of completing work in 2025. The cables are part of a system that works in tandem with six main haul wheels, or 'sheave wheels,' as the Inclined Plane's cars are hoisted between downtown Johnstown and Westmont Borough. CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said the project's general contractor, Mosites Construction Co., was the low bidder for the rope project. State funding is covering the work, she said. 'It's positive news,' Lucey-Noll said. 'Everything is progressing now.' The transit authority previously rejected offers on the ropes' replacement in September after issues with the Incline's wheels halted the project until late last year. The main haul sheave wheels and two safety wheels, which are situated vertically above them, must be installed in a set order, and all must be in place before the ropes are installed, she said. The area where the wheels operate 'is a small space, so they have to be put in carefully,' Lucey-Noll said. CamTran's board also received an update on ongoing repairs to the metal sheave wheels. Lucey-Noll said one safety wheel was recently installed. The other wheel and five main haul wheels have been repaired and polished and are in storage awaiting approval to be reinstalled, while one other wheel is still undergoing final work at Speranza Specialty Machine Shop in Westmoreland County. Lucey-Noll said she was optimistic that additional wheels will be installed in March, but it's too soon to speculate how long it will take for both sets of the sheave wheels to be back in place, she added. When that happens, Mosites Construction, which is already overseeing the broader project on site, will replace the haul ropes, she said. After all work is complete, CamTran officials have said it will likely take five months of testing, state inspection work and employee training before the Incline can begin carrying passengers again. A mix of state and federal funds were secured for the Inclined Plane's renovation. Lucey-Noll said the federal portion of the funds, secured years ago, are already 'in process,' so there is no apparent risk of a nationwide federal funding freeze impacting the work. Also Friday, CamTran officials unanimously approved the purchase of a new 2025 Ford E-450 from Coach & Equipment Inc. The Share-a-Ride bus was approved at an estimated purchase price of $145,000.
