PennDOT cites safety issues with Route 30 median barrier plan in North Huntingdon

North Huntingdon resident Tony Janczewski isn’t happy that the median barrier proposed for a stretch of Route 30 in the township could add two miles to his daily trip to work.

According to Route 30 improvement plans displayed last week at the Hartford Heights fire station, Janczewski would have to drive east on Route 30 from his Idaho Lane home to the intersection at Carpenter Lane and then double back west to arrive for work at Vangura, a North Huntingdon countertop manufacturer situated along the highway.

“Why can’t they put a break in the barrier?” he said of PennDOT project planners. Transportation officials’ response, according to Janczewski, who also suggested a center turning lane: “They said people would get rear-ended.”

PennDOT project manager Joshua Zakovitch said safety is the primary reason for adding a median barrier along the majority of the 2.5-mile stretch of Route 30 from Carpenter Lane in North Huntingdon west to Route 48 in North Versailles.

“People want instant access to their properties, but we want them to have safe access to their properties, and also for the people who are coming to their establishments,” Zakovitch said. “The jersey barrier is implemented to restrict left turns to signalized intersections.”

There’s a traffic light at Carpenter Lane.

The project plan calls for the construction of “jug handle” turning lanes at three Route 30 intersections, allowing motorists to change directions from east to west or vice versa. The jug handles are slated for the intersections of Leger Road/Carpenter Lane and Old Jacks Run Road/Peterson Road, where there are existing traffic lights, and also at Ardara Road/Idaho Lane, where a traffic signal would be added.

Janczewski acknowledged that the proposed signal would increase safety for himself and others who exit Idaho Lane near the crest of a hill.

“You have to be 100 yards away (on Route 30) before you can actually see people pulling out of there,” he said.

PennDOT’s plan also calls for improvement of the Routes 30/48 intersection in North Versailles.

The revamped intersection would eliminate left turns in either direction from Route 30 onto Route 48. Instead, motorists would drive straight through the intersection, make use of a new U-turn with a traffic signal and then turn right in the intended direction on Route 48.

“We’re going to significantly increase traffic flow through there,” said Angela Baker, transportation planning manager for PennDOT. “That’s a really busy intersection with a lot of congestion.”

That section of Route 30 has an average daily traffic volume of more than 11,000 vehicles, while there is an average volume of about 19,000 vehicles on Route 48, Baker said.

Several North Huntingdon officials who attended Thursday’s display spoke favorably about the Route 30 improvement project, which has been in the preliminary design phase since 2018.

“It’s not going to make everybody happy, but it’s an attempt to improve safety,” said Rod Mahinske, the township’s emergency management director. “They’ve got to do something. You’ve got to stop a lot of cross-traffic.”

Township Manager Harry Faulk said bad crashes along the stretch of Route 30 have included an incident where a vehicle was rear-ended and pushed into oncoming traffic.

“We need to make Route 30 safer,” he said. “We’re one of the gateways to Westmoreland County. This will help revitalize this end of the township.”

Hartford Heights firefighters would continue to have direct access to and from their station along the northern berm of Route 30. A project map shows an extra lane and barrier break that would allow firetrucks exiting the station to turn east onto the highway.

“They’ll have a button that raises a gate to allow them to make the turn, but it will restrict everyone else from using it,” Zakovitch said.

Project planners estimate the Route 30 improvements would result in more than 400 fewer crashes along the stretch over 20 years.

After consideration of comments received at Thursday’s session and an environmental assessment of the project, Baker said PennDOT will be ready to begin the final design.

Construction 3 years away

But the start of construction — at an estimated cost of up to $60 million — isn’t anticipated until the summer of 2027. Work is expected to be underway through 2030.

While a mix of more than 100 commercial and residential properties are located within the project limits, Zakovitch said PennDOT can’t yet say how many would be impacted by the construction and to what extent.

PennDOT ultimately wants to extend Route 30 improvements farther east, to the intersection of 10th Street in Irwin. Funding availability will determine the timing and success of that effort.