Zelie may consider bypass
Zelienople officials may consider a West New Castle Street to Main Street bypass to help ease traffic congestion along the Route 19 corridor.
At a borough council meeting Monday, manager Don Pepe asked whether providing motorists an easier way to turn from West Beaver Street onto Main Street is “a concept council is interested in.”
“We have had, for a number of years, the issue of congestion at Beaver and Main Street, and that whole corridor, the (Route 68) corridor,” Pepe said in a Tuesday interview.
All ideas at this point, according to the manager, are simply that: ideas. Zelienople has no plans to construct a bypass and does not have the money to fund such a plan. “They’re just thoughts,” Pepe added.
Pepe said borough engineer Tom Thompson came up with two possible ways to funnel traffic from Beaver to Main without creating a large amount of congestion, but said Tuesday the borough would not release the plans until something is more set in stone.
“They’re just thoughts right now for us to determine whether or not we should pursue them further,” Pepe said.
Regardless, Pepe said Zelienople would pursue a way to alleviate traffic at the Beaver and Main junction if there is enough interest from officials and residents.
West Beaver Street, which constitutes Route 68 on the western half of Zelienople — Grandview Avenue takes Route 68 east from the borough — runs from the Pennsylvania-Ohio border through Beaver County and into Zelienople, collecting traffic from New Sewickley and other townships.
“The whole concept of the bypass is really interesting, and if — if — we can do this, it could be a real help,” Pepe said.
The western segment of Route 68 is a main focus on Zelienople’s traffic radar at the moment, according to the manager, but is not the sole target.
“It is not the only intersection in town that needs addressed. I know that,” Pepe said. “But we’re looking at alleviating some of that congestion.”
Another possible target Pepe has on his mind for the future is the junction of West New Castle Street and Main Street. Pepe said the truck traffic from West New Castle is much higher than that on Beaver.
