The Pennsylvania American Water Company and Jefferson Hills borough council are working together to fix Neilson Drive.

Public works Superintendent William McVicker said the water company is replacing water lines in the Neilson Drive area, which is off Cochran Mill Road. The work requires the company to replace half the roadway.

McVicker said the company gave the borough the opportunity to replace the road at a low cost because contractors will be working on the road.

"The half that does not have to be done by the water company is in deplorable condition," McVicker said.

"The total expense comes to $21,000 and would give us all the roads in that particular area paved."

Mayor Mike Green wrote a letter to council, declaring Neilson a safety hazard. The letter allows the borough to bypass the bidding process.

"There are potholes on that road as big as an elephant," Green said. "It's very unsafe and should probably be shut down."

Council pulled the project's funding from the highway fund. It budgeted $32,000 for public works to purchase a new pickup truck.

McVicker said the department could go without the truck until next year.

Arndt said the work on Neilson Drive would be done in addition to the road program.

Council budgeted $320,000 for roadwork this summer, with a bid of about $216,000 coming in to do work on Marion, Ridgewood, Cherrywood, Fawn and Willem drives. The borough plans on using public works to do $60,000 in road repairs, and is splitting a $7,500 price tag with South Park for repairs to the McElheny Road bridge.

The repairs leave the borough with about $36,500 in the budget roadwork, which Arndt said should be used to cover unplanned expenses with the road program.

"We're pretty close," Arndt said. "We might be OK in doing this project out of that budget, but you need to be prepared for the unforeseen."