More traffic changes planned for Peters Township

Beginning June 9, motorists in Peters Township will deal with yet another traffic restriction when one northbound lane on Washington Road (Route 19) will close for 30 days to allow Gulisek Construction to build a turning lane from Washington Road to a new ramp leading to and from Valley Brook Road. The closure length will be relatively short and will extend from the site of the old ramp to the new ramp.
Periodically, during the closure on the northbound side, southbound lanes on Washington Road will also close to allow for installation of poles for new traffic signals.
Since the 16-month-long project began May 22, 2013, the traffic lights on Washington Road have blinked yellow, allowing all traffic to flow uninterrupted. The new signals will not be activated until the project is complete and the ramp is opened officially on Labor Day, said Michael Silvestri, township manager.
The closure was announced during a council meeting May 28.
Also during the month-long northbound lane closure, the state Department of Transportation will repair a small slide just south of the new ramp connection in the right lane.
The turning lane is the beginning of phase 3 of the $4 million project through PennDOT that has been planned for several years. Construction was delayed for several years, some the result of lawsuits filed by surrounding property owners over parking spaces and access lanes, and one by the owner of a billboard that resulted in the eventual erection of a digital sign just north of the intersection.
Valley Brook Road remained open from East McMurray Road to just east of the intersection of Old Washington Road. During the project, the intersection was reconfigured. Valley Brook Road under Washington Road to just before the off ramp from Washington Road south, was also closed. The only access between the two sections of Valley Brook Road was by pedestrians and bicyclists along Arrowhead Trail.
Before the closure, more than 11,000 vehicles traveled Valley Brook Road, the only east-west access in the township on state-owned roads other than East and West McMurray roads.
The project, in which the township was required to pay $800,000, is “right on schedule,” Silvestri said. When asked if the road could be opened before the September 1 holiday, Silvestri said the official date was Labor Day.
“Keep pressing them on that,” said Councilman Frank Arcuri.