Next year, the City of Williamsport will see dozens of projects that add zest, improve safety and better position the city for economic growth.

City engineer Bill Scott’s summary of projects underway or planned was provided to council.

An objective for the engineer, crew at the public works department, Mayor Derek Slaughter and city community and economic development and planning, and City Council, are safety pedestrian and traffic improvements on streets.

The construction of thermoplastic crosswalks and accessible curb ramps at five locations throughout the city should help get people to and from the Old City area near Lycoming College and in areas near Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The city is partnering with Lycoming College for six additional crosswalks located around the college, Scott said.

Additionally, the college and city have passed a memorandum of understanding on the ramps that are in design with construction expected next year.

Look for improvement to the heavily used Hepburn Street and Little League Boulevard intersection, he said.

Work will consist of the replacement of the traffic signal with the Americans with Disabilities-designed upgrades at this intersection.

This complements the recent reconstruction of the Little League Boulevard resurfacing/project from Mulberry Street to Walnut Street.

This project opened bids in October, and the council awarded a construction contract to Lecce Electric.

The safety of East Fourth Street and Campbell Street are included in the work plans.

Work at the locations consists of the construction of a streetscape from Basin Street to Mulberry Street and between West Third Street and West Fourth streets with new concrete and brick sidewalk, street trees, period lights, concrete curbing, curb ramps and street mill and overlay with new line striping.

Basin Street to Mulberry Street recently went to two-way traffic.

Willow Street

The city is going to totally reconstruct Willow Street from Market Street to Basin Street, Scott said.

This work would include milling, base repair and a full overlay using a new, polymer cement surfacing treatment with brick printing and colored pattern to be more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly while remaining a shared use roadway for limited vehicle traffic. Other improvements include ADA curb ramps at intersections and street lights. The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has approved a concept design using colored and patterned polymer cement surface and a contraflow shared traffic flow pattern between vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

This non-descript alley will be converted to a revitalized connector between Basin Street and Market Street, Scott said. Preliminary design is complete and final design is starting with the environmental clearance forthcoming. PennDOT recently approved a scoping field view and has provided a let schedule with a construction bid advertisement in late 2026.

Flood control

Pump station equipment repairs

For electrical upgrades to three pump stations located at Spring Run, Mill Race and Arch Street, Scott said.

The project includes but is not limited to generators, automatic transfer switches, normal power utility services, service disconnects, switchboards, panelboards, controls, line voltage wiring, low voltage wiring, site work and ancillary electrical work. This is funded through the $8 million federal earmark with bidding for construction anticipated to begin before year’s end as soon as the earmark funds are released.

Pump station structure repairs

To replace the roofs in-kind at eight pump stations located at: Arch Street, Fox Hollow, Mill Race, Spring Run, Cemetery Street, Hepburn Street, Basin Street, Penn Street, McClures Run was recently rebuilt and is not included. This is funded through the aforementioned federal earmark with construction anticipated to be awarded before year’s end after the earmark funds are released.

Old City Revitalization

A request for proposals was put out for professional architecture and engineering design consultants in which the city received five responses, Scott said.

The area is east of Market Street and called Old City because it was the oldest part of the city when the founding fathers settled in what became a village, then borough and then incorporated as a city. The city has interviewed all these firms and is making a final determination and entering into contract fees negotiations with the selected firm.

This firm will be required to deliver the project to a specific stage, with signed and sealed plans and all bid documents and construction specifications, along with a final construction cost estimate.

The project is being developed under a funding partnership between the city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under an existing grant award agreement.

Final architectural design and project engineering will be used to plan and construct a new economic development facility in the Old City area adjacent to the Lycoming College campus.

The Old City Revitalization Initiative includes three major components as follows: City street light modernization; utility improvements; and, the Basin Street River Walk Connector. The architectural and engineering firm selected for this project will review preliminary design plans and prepare final design and necessary engineering plans to prepare for the construction of these public facilities.