Drivers warned of Elco Hill intersection danger

Area officials are trying to get PennDOT to take action on the hazardous intersection.

It has taken more than three decades, but new safety measures could soon be in place at the top of Elco Hill in Long Branch.

Along Route 88, the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Company sign blinks in bright red to catch the attention of passing drivers.

It shares a blunt but important message, warning drivers of the dangerous intersection at the top of the hill where Dally Road meets Route 88: “Dangerous Intersection Top of Elco Hill: Here’s your warning since no one will fix it.”

That message has been in rotation on the fire company’s digital sign for a few weeks.

It appears the state will take action to make the road a bit safer if all goes as planned.

In December 2021, PennDOT was asked to complete a traffic study in the area. Work began by researching the crash history at the intersection, which revealed that a majority of crashes involve drivers improperly entering the intersection from Dally Road.

Then PennDOT conducted a field view of the intersection.

To help drivers be more aware, PennDOT replaced “Intersection ahead” signs on both approaches to Dally Road and moved back stop signs to allow them to be more visible to oncoming traffic.

A new “stop sign ahead” sign was installed on the southbound approach to Dally Road, and dotted extension lines were added to Elco Hill Road so the intersection is more visible to drivers approaching from Dally Road.

Brush was also trimmed, but accidents have continued to happen at the intersection. Most local residents are aware of the danger and travel the road with caution, but accidents have persisted.

Often they are only fender benders, but some have been fatal.

Roscoe resident Rick Gazi has been a vocal critic of the lack of safety measures at the top of Elco Hill for years.

He can still vividly recall when he and his mother were broadsided by another vehicle at the top of Elco Hill on Sept. 1, 1999.

“I was hit so hard that they did $9,700 worth of damage to my car after pushing me through all three lanes at that damn intersection,” Gazi said.

A few weeks ago an accident at the top of the hill caused a car to overturn and catch fire.

Making the intersection safer has been an uphill climb. The problem has persisted because both roads are state owned.

The design of the intersection was never intended to be as it is, but plans changed nearly 40 years ago.

Before safety efforts were made a few years ago, PennDOT suggested a traffic light, but it would have to be paid for and maintained locally, which is not something local municipalities could take on.

Roscoe Mayor Tom Wilkinson said Elco Hill and a connecting intersection have been a long-standing problem.

“It’s been bad for decades, and locals know it is a problem, but it’s been a lot to get anything done,” Wilkinson said. “There was an accident a few months ago, and another one just last week. But (former Roscoe councilman, and current Long Branch council member Bill Nutt) has been trying really hard to work on it. And I think we might finally be getting somewhere.”

After speaking with officials from surrounding communities and getting the go-ahead from local leaders, Nutt contacted PennDOT to get something done.

“I’ve spent a lot of time talking to all of our communities,” he said. “Yesterday I was speaking with the people on the California side of Dally Road and they gave me their support too, so we’re working on it.”

Nutt has letters of support from all the communities in the area that recognize the safety concern the road poses if left as is.

“We have letters from all of the boroughs down that way, and it seems like it’s moving along, finally, at least more than it has been,” Nutt said.

He has been speaking regularly with PennDOT officials and plans to meet with them after receiving official approval from his fellow Long Branch council members at their meeting next week.

“It’s two state roads, and we all know the intersection was never supposed to be like that, but it is and that’s something we can’t change, but that doesn’t change the fact that something needs done,” Nutt said.

Elected officials have tried a handful of times to help, but progress has been slow.

“PennDOT agreed to put flashing lights, but they wanted us to pay for it, to you know maintain them, and we have no bucket truck, we just don’t have the resources for that,” Nutt said. “So that’s what the holdup was.”

If the plan is approved, rumble strips will be added to the intersection on both sides, from each direction.

“It came down to something so simple, and a point I have brought up, what’s a life worth? You can’t replace that. You can’t replace someone’s dad, mom, brother, sister, son or daughter. We have to do whatever we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, and this is where we are,” Nutt said. “We’re hoping they can be put in there in the next six weeks. We’ve all been wanting this and working on this for a while and we had to keep grinding along until something was done.”

State Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township, who represents the 50th Legislative District that includes Long Branch, said he’s aware of the problem and supports whatever solution is agreed to by state and local officials.

“I am in support of whatever changes PennDOT and Long Branch officials agree upon to make the area safer,” Cook said. “We have been made aware of the crashes and know that improvements are needed.”