Newport Borough Resubmits $87,000 Street-Sign Grant Request After Missing PennDOT’s 2026 Awards

Newport Borough Council has reauthorized an $87,000 application for PennDOT funding for street signs, but the borough has not reported an award or a construction schedule.

Council took the action during its June 3, 2026, regular meeting. According to the Newport Borough Council meeting minutes, Borough Engineer Phillip Brath said he would submit the Automated Red-Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements, or ARLE, grant application at no cost to the borough. Any additional engineering cost would be taken from the grant if funding is received.

Earlier request was still pending

The June action followed an earlier ARLE application for the same general street-sign purpose. In its Oct. 7, 2025, minutes, the borough said that application had been submitted for $83,000, including $15,000 for design, engineering and bidding, and that officials were still awaiting the grant-award results.

The two dollar amounts represent separate actions in the borough’s records: the earlier request was for $83,000, while the June 2026 council action authorized an $87,000 submission.

Newport was not on PennDOT’s February award list

In a Feb. 10, 2026, announcement, PennDOT said it had approved 51 ARLE projects in 44 municipalities. Newport Borough does not appear on the published approved-project list associated with that announcement.

That absence is relevant background, but it does not prove that PennDOT formally rejected the borough’s June 2026 resubmission. The available records document Newport Borough Council’s decision to authorize another application, not a final PennDOT decision on the newer request.

What residents should expect

For Newport residents, the immediate development is a funding application rather than a confirmed street-sign project. The June minutes do not identify how many signs would be installed, where they would be placed or when work would begin.

If PennDOT awards the grant, the borough’s record says additional engineering costs would be paid from the grant. Until the state issues a decision, however, the street-sign work remains proposed and unfunded in the available records.

Sources

• Newport Borough Council June 3, 2026 meeting minutes
• PennDOT February 10, 2026 ARLE award announcement