SR supervisors discuss roads, grants
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Road and traffic improvements were the main topics of the Slippery Rock Township board of supervisors meeting Monday afternoon.
The board discussed culvert projects, road widening and what PennDOT plans to do at the Route 8 and Branchton Road intersection.
The four-way intersection was the site of three vehicle crashes — one of them fatal — during the month of April.
According to supervisor Paul Dickey, a “speed minder” sign was placed along Route 8 in late May and into June to slow traffic traveling north, but no speed study has been conducted at the site.
“PennDOT can’t do a speed study until the paving is done on Route 8,” he said.
The supervisors discussed drafting a letter to request a speed study once the Route 8 paving project is completed.
He said there has been discussion of increasing mowing to improve sight lines at the intersection, as well as the placement of a traffic warning sign.
“They haven’t decided if there’s a need,” Dickey said. “And they won’t have the money approved for it until fall. We might not see anything until September or October.”
In May, supervisors met PennDOT representatives at the intersection to discuss decreasing the risk of accidents.
Supervisors received a notice from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission about its regional traffic signal program and wanted to discuss how it might apply to Slippery Rock.
The program provides technical assistance and potential funding to municipalities throughout the region for traffic light improvements and replacement, according to its website.
The intersection uses a blinking yellow light to regulate traffic.
The board also discussed the beginning of a culvert pipe replacement on Arrowhead Drive. Construction is set to begin Wednesday and result in the road’s closure until August.
Supervisors also voted to apply for a multi-model grant from the Butler County Infrastructure Bank for improvements on Kiester Road.
Dickey said the $1 million in funds potentially could go toward widening and resurfacing the road as well as the replacement of a county bridge.
The improvements along Kiester Road would span from Sportsman Lane to Route 8.
“We’ve been doing the road in sections,” Dickey said. “The county informed us there were funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements. And we could use it to finish the road.”
The next supervisors meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. August 8.
