PennDOT making improvements to intersection near rodeo grounds
Repeat visitors to this year’s North Washington Rodeo may find a surprise on the roads as they travel to the popular annual event. The state Department of Transportation has begun work on a safety improvement at an intersection near the rodeo grounds.
The project, which is expected to be finished on Friday, Feb. 2, involves tearing down a stone wall near the intersection to improve visibility for drivers coming from West Sunbury in an effort to reduce the risk of accidents.
The project is a collaboration between PennDOT and Washington Township, and was largely spearheaded by longtime township supervisor Randy Smith.
“Just being a township supervisor for the last 30 years, I realized a lot of wrecks are happening at this intersection,” Smith said. “When you're pulling up from West Sunbury and looking towards the north, you can’t get your car out enough to see very easy.”
The project was made possible in April 2022, when the township purchased the home and the parcel of land where the stone wall was situated. At $10,000, this was a bargain for the township.
Smith said the appraiser said the house isn’t worth anything but appraised the land at $10,000.
The house itself, a two-story brick home, was demolished “a year and a half ago,” according to Smith. Historical Google Street View records indicate it was demolished sometime between November 2021 and October 2023.
“A couple of years ago, I ran into the owner of the property,” Smith said. “He said, ‘I'm selling that property.’ He told me a price that didn't seem too bad.”
Another buyer expressed interest in the property, intent on repairing the house. The buyer backed out after seeing the shape the house was in, allowing the township to purchase the property.
The house demolition was part of the Butler County Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s blight mitigation program. Afterwards, clearing the site took some time, as the township had to contact Columbia Gas to remove the gas lines that were attached to the house.
“This whole project's been going on for about two years now,“ Smith said. ”It’s just been moving slow.“
The township still owns the parcel of land where the house once stood, and Smith says there are no plans as of yet for what to do with it.
“I don't think we're in any hurry to dispose of the property,” Smith said.
