Newry borough engineer Tom Levine (left) and Hollidaysburg Area School District transportation director Ben Caldwell look over the culvert located east of the intersection of Shamrock Lane with Dublin Street/ Margery Street. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

At a meeting this week, Newry Borough Council will discuss the proposed closure of Catfish Road in the borough at a small-stream culvert just east of Dublin Street, due to worries about the safety of the structure.

Borough engineer Tom Levine recently alerted the supervisors of Blair Township, which surrounds the borough, about the closure proposal, and township supervisors, along with representatives from the township Police Department, a local fire department and Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service, plan to express concerns at the meeting that the closure would add a 10 minute detour for emergency, school transport and other vehicles traveling from the area on the borough’s west side near Leighty’s farm market on Dunnings Highway, to the east side, in the vicinity of St. Bernardine’s Monastery, off Charger Highway, according to Blair Township Supervisor Jacob Wible.

There are “signs of settlement on the road surface east of the culvert in the westbound lane, and the pavement width is being eroded along the southbound lane near the culvert outlet,” Levine stated in the letter.

Catfish Road through the borough is known as Shamrock Lane west of Dunnings Highway and East Allegheny Street east of the highway, according to an online map.

In the letter, Levine invited letter recipients to contact him about the matter and provided his contact information.

But township officials have been unsuccessful in starting a dialogue with borough officials about the issue, Wible said.

It would be reassuring if the letter spoke of a repair project and a reasonably limited closure period, but “in that letter the borough makes no indication of reopening,” Wible said.

“If something needs repaired, it needs repaired, but you can’t close it indefinitely,” Wible said.

The Mirror has left messages for Levine, but didn’t hear back.

There would be two detour options, one to the north involving Dunnings Highway, Newry Lane and Route 36 and one to the south involving Dunnings Highway, Route 164 and Charger Highway.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the borough building, 713 Shamrock Lane.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.