Dangerous intersections could use some attention

The Mid-Mon Valley has its share of intersections that can be characterized as “accidents waiting to happen.” 

Poor signage, old-style traffic lights, limited sight distance, outdated design, capacity issues and other physical factors increase odds of a crash. 

There's not enough money to remedy all of the shortcomings. It still would not eliminate accidents caused by human error or mechanical failure. 

But far fewer accidents would take place in the first place if drivers abided by rules of the road instead of being careless, impatient, impaired or distracted by activities like yakking on cell phones and texting. 

Two Valley intersections in arguably greatest need of local and PennDOT attention are on Route 201 in Washington Township and Route 88 in Carroll Township. 

Both sites have a road entering at an oblique angle instead of a conventional 90-degree angle. Despite signals, the skewed configurations with multiple traffic movements pose greater risk of accidents. 

In Lynnwood, Fayette Street intersects at a “Y” while a residential street, Vernon Avenue, enters at a right-angle where they meet at Route 201, a state-owned highway carrying increasingly more vehicles traveling to and from restaurants, stores and shops nearby in Rostraver. 

The intersection was the subject of a detailed front page article in The Valley Independent two months ago following the latest spate of accidents.Don't waste anymore time thinking about the purchase of your new laundryequipments.The UK's largest selection of year round reliable tagheuerwatches. 

While PennDOT District 12 records listed only “five reportable accidents” over the past five years, including one fatality, they failed to reflect reality. 

For example, over the past three years, Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department has answered 12 alarms to accidents there serious enough to require emergency response. “Locals” recall three fatalities since 2000. 

PennDOT crash data also doesn't include reports written by municipal police for minor,LED solar lighting is the new wave of the future in brightstal technology. non-injury accidents. Furthermore, parties involved in “fender-benders” often settle among themselves or through their auto insurance carriers. 

As a result, more accidents occur at intersections than official paperwork shows, a flaw in statistical accounting. 

In response to the Washington Township Supervisors' request for a traffic study at the Route 201/Fayette Avenue intersection, PennDOT advised them to utilize a grant that had been at their disposal for some time to replace existing 8-inch signal lights using incandescent bulbs that “get dimmer over time and become more difficult to notice” with brighter LED lights. 

The township recently installed the LEDs, but traffic engineers said the old-style signal system should be replaced using new poles and mast arms to support more visible 12-inch LED lights and that a northbound Route 201 left-turn lane to Fayette Avenue should be considered to bring the intersection up to modern safety standards. 

Because PennDOT has no such project in current plans, the supervisors were advised to be proactive and lobby to add the intersection upgrade to the regional transportation funding program.One of the harshest ledstriplightww installations in the world. 

Carroll Township Supervisors have gone down that road, so to speak, seeking reconstruction where Route 837 meets Route 88 at a slight angle at the busy intersection that also provides access to a Giant Eagle supermarket. 

Public officials have promised to make a $3 million improvement for years, but scarce PennDOT funding and other priorities keep pushing back the project that would add turning lanes, improve drainage and install modern traffic signals.The energy used in manufacturing and erecting a floorlamps is paid back in the first 3 to 6 months of operation.