Something is happening at Slippery Rock Township’s deadly intersection, but is it enough?
Something is being done at the intersection of Route 8 and Branchton Road, and while debate may remain over whether or not it’s the right “something,” we are grateful to see some improvements slated for one of Butler County’s infamously deadly intersections.
New traffic signals will be installed at the Slippery Rock Township intersection beginning Wednesday, July 24, according to PennDOT. Installation and construction will involve the replacement of the current flashing beacons with new mounted beacons and flashing warning signs that alert motorists of crossing traffic.
“They’re going to make it bigger, is my understanding,” said township supervisor Terry Doerr in January. “They're going to make the light more pronounced ... put in bigger poles and a bigger light.”
In the January report, township supervisors reiterated that a full-on traffic signal is not planned for the spot.
In November 2022, we reported that the supervisors received a letter from PennDOT stating a traffic study conducted starting in October of that year did not show a need for a speed-limit reduction.
Around that time, we took a stance, saying: “We are tired of PennDOT running a traffic study, shrugging and saying, ‘shucks, there is no problem.’”
A full traffic signal setup and a speed limit reduction are not in the cards, township supervisors have said, despite the intersection’s history of crashes, some with fatal results.
One of the most deadly crashes occurred in July 2003, when a family of five from North Carolina was killed while visiting relatives in Pennsylvania. The family’s vehicle, traveling northbound on Route 8, was hit by a trucker who ran a stop sign while traveling westbound on Branchton Road.
We reported that the following year, PennDOT put a flashing yellow light in place, but crashes have continued to happen. One in September 2022 between a motorcycle and an SUV led to the deaths of the motorcycle’s driver and passenger, prompting another look at the intersection.
We are grateful to see some action at the intersection, but we hope we don’t look back in a decade and wish more was done — that a full traffic signal wasn’t installed or speed limits reduced. Because then, more money will be spent to redo the work that is going to be started this week.
Only time will tell the impact of this change. We understand the studies indicate one thing, but lives lost indicate another and we hope this action is enough.
— TL
