Route 8 intersection in Penn Township getting improvements
Decades-old traffic signals at the intersection of Route 8 and Airport Road, the site of numerous car crashes and fatal accidents, soon will be replaced through state grant money.
After applying for the grant four times since 2017, Penn Township is finally getting $446,706 from PennDOT’s Automated Red-Light Enforcement grant, which Supervisor Chairman Sam Ward said will improve the safety of the “infamous” intersection.
“That light is from the 1986 era. It has been battered over the years,” Ward said Wednesday, Jan. 4. “There will be signal turning lanes, advanced warning signs that are illuminated, and it will be a much safer intersection.”
A Wednesday news release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said 32 municipalities across the state received grant funding, which “aims to improve safety at signalized intersections by providing automated enforcement at locations where data shows red-light running has been an issue.”
Ward said some drivers would rather pass through a yellow light at the intersection rather than slow down and wait for the next cycle, which has led to many collisions on that stretch of road.
“We have to change the mindset of people driving on Route 8. It seems to me that they want to speed up to beat the light,” Ward said. “That is a dangerous mindset. The locals do not enter the intersection without a delay.”
In addition to Penn Township, Butler Township is getting nearly $250,000, which will be used for new mast arms to replace strain poles, new signal heads and “reflectorized” back plates for Pittsburgh Street and the intersection of McCalmont Road and Vogel Road. Cranberry Township is getting $350,000 for Route 19 and Short Street, to install new mast arms to support additional signal heads and new controllers to allow for advanced signal timings.
In total, more than $15 million is being awarded this grant cycle.
Penn Township manager Linda Zerfoss said that not only is she excited to finally be awarded grant funding for this project after “numerous” applications, but many other residents and region officials are happy to see Route 8 being addressed.
“It's a very dangerous intersection,” she said. “We had a lot of support from various organizations and people.”
Ward said that without the grant, work probably wouldn’t have started on the intersection until at least the spring of 2024.
He said the township supervisors have already met with a designer for the project, and the township engineer is reviewing it. The project work may commence this year, according to Ward.
As for motorists traveling the road, they will notice a few changes to the intersection once the project is done.
“There will be signal turning lanes, advanced warning signs that are illuminated... placed about 1,000 feet north and south of the intersection,” Ward said. “We're including pedestrian clock crosswalks; there are people that walk and run there on a regular basis. This traffic signal system will be as up to date technologically as we are able to get at this time.”
