Commissioners discuss traffic complaints due to road work

Projects along I-70 and Route 51 are creating huge backups in the township.

At Monday’s work session, Rostraver Township commissioners discussed complaints they’ve received regarding road work taking place on Interstate 70 and Route 51.

Many of the regular routes in the township have been disrupted due to construction of a diverging diamond interchange on Route 51.

Board President Jeffrey Johnson said he has received numerous complaints about the road work and the disruption it’s causing for township residents. He has noticed some issues with the traffic lights placed along the interchange.

“My phone’s blown up,” Johnson said. “It’s been a little better, but the lights don’t seem to be working. They cycle very quickly, and they only let a few cars through.”

Johnson observed that each light change seems to allow only about seven cars to pass through. The issue has been causing traffic in the area, at times blocking some of the crossings.

“Once both lanes are open, I’m sure it will be better, but the lights just don’t seem to be working right,” he said. “They’re not cycling long enough, and traffic on 51 is not moving. They’re red too long, and they don’t seem to be in sequence.”

Township Manager Jeffrey Keffer said they have been regularly communicating with PennDOT officials about various issues. Keffer and Johnson mentioned that it appears PennDOT is working on resolving some of the problems, but there are others to be taken care of.

“We’re communicating with either the contractor or PennDOT almost every day when we see issues, and they’ve been very responsive to trying to get it to work, but they still haven’t worked the bugs out,” Keffer said.

The work has resulted in some road closures, specifically Finley Road, which has created some detours. Route 201, which goes through the township and its main shopping area, has seen some heavier traffic due to the detours.

Keffer and Johnson said the township police have been sent out in recent days to help direct traffic and help reduce backups.

Earlier this month, Belle Vernon Area School District advised families to allow for extra travel time during the first weeks of school due to the road work.

LSA grant

Also Monday, commissioners said they plan to apply for an LSA grant to purchase new equipment for their road department.

The grant would be for $61,224, which would help the township buy new lifts to use for maintenance work on equipment.

“They make it a lot easier to work on them, so you don’t have to crawl underneath them anymore,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of becoming an industry standard.”

Keffer said the township has been in communication with state Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Smithton, about the grant.