Upgrades coming to Branchton Road and Route 8 intersection
From her office chair at Pry's Towing & Automotive at 101 Branchton Road in Slippery Rock Township, secretary Chris McCormick has seen the dangers of motorists attempting to cross or turn onto Route 8 from Branchton Road first hand.
McCormick said from her “bird’s eye view” of the intersection, she has seen motorists speed through it daily, which has led to many crashes over the past few years.
“I can see how people travel it, and it's always busy once kids go back to the university (Slippery Rock University),” McCormick said.
She said state police have reviewed Pry’s security footage after crashes to determine who was at fault.
But now, something is being done.
After lost lives, public outcry and many township meetings, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced “Intelligent Transportation Systems” will be installed at the township intersection. The work was scheduled to begin Wednesday, July 24.
The work on the Branchton Road and Route 8 intersection is the first part of a $115,010 project, which will include multiple locations. PennDOT said the other locations will be announced later.
The work is being done by contractor Bronder Technical Services of Prospect.
As of the morning of July 24, the intersection hosts flashing yellow beacons facing north and south on Route 8, which indicates to drivers that they should slow down.
Then east and west on Branchton Road, there are flashing red beacons, signifying a stop sign to cross or turn onto Route 8.
According to Steve Elliott, medical officer with the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Team, the upgrade coming to the intersection will consist of new “mounted beacons and flashing warning signs” instead of the beacons being supported on a strung wire.
“I don’t know if that’s for storm protection or for better visibility,” Elliott said. “There will also be flashing warning signs to alert motorists to the presence of crossing traffic.”
Elliott said the majority of crashes at the intersection have speeding and negligence factors from motorists traveling on Branchton Road attempting to cross or turn onto Route 8.
“People just blow that stop sign completely, and it's not always out of town people,” Elliott said. “It's sometimes locals that drive it every day to work.”
Elliott, who is also a Slippery Rock Township resident, said he is glad to see money being put into upgrades at the intersection and is hopeful the new beacons will be more visible to motorists.
He does think the best solution to the crashes at the intersection would be to install a traditional traffic light.
But “any upgrade is better than it used to be,” Elliott said. ”(The intersection) has been historically a problem.”
According to previous Butler Eagle reports, the Slippery Rock Township intersection has hosted some notable crashes over the years.
In September 2011, a student at Slippery Rock University was killed, and another injured, in a collision between a tractor-trailer and an SUV carrying six students.
Later in September 2022, a collision between a motorcycle and an SUV led to the deaths of the motorcycle's rider and passenger.
“I'm sure upgrading the traffic signals is definitely going to help that intersection out,” Ryan Hanchosky, chief of the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Department said. “I have met with PennDOT and the township supervisors in the past. They have done traffic studies before, to do as much as they can to prevent accidents from occurring there.”
There also are speed reduction signs motorists can spot when traveling north and south on Route 8 about 200 yards before entering the intersection.
These signs indicate a 35 mph zone at the intersection on Route 8, a 20 mph decrease from the posted 55 mph speed limit.
According to PennDOT, the construction of the new mounted beacons was scheduled to begin on July 24, but, according to McCormick, no construction crews were spotted during her shift at the intersection that day, which lasted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Thursday, July 25, signs were seen of disturbances in the ground around the intersection, and traffic cones sat near chalk outlines in the area.
