ZELIENOPLE — A group of neighbors wants borough council's help in persuading the state's Department of Transportation that an upcoming project will negatively affect their homes and the borough in general.

Elaine Nucci spoke for nine families in the area of West Beaver and South Clay streets at Monday's council meeting on the project to mitigate a dangerous curve on West Beaver Street.

While Nucci agrees the curve needs work to make it safer, she said the neighbors believe PennDOT's current plan has many flaws.

“We fear that straightening the curve will cause traffic to move faster, making the already dangerous intersection at West Beaver and South Clay streets more hazardous,” Nucci told council.

PennDOT District 10 spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said Tuesday that the project focuses on the realignment of a “substandard roadway curvature.”

Manyisha said residents will notice an improved roadway cross-slope, a shoulder widened to 4 feet, a well-defined 6-inch curb, 5-foot wide sidewalks compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improved intersection sight lines, and better road drainage.

Nucci worries that faster traffic will endanger pedestrians and cyclists, move curbs closer to homes, place fast traffic closer to homes, and decrease home values at the properties affected.

Nucci dislikes the proposed tree and shrub removal that would eliminate the barrier between wayward cars and houses as well as increase noise pollution.

Suggestions provided by the neighbors, Nucci said, include instituting a truck load limit on Routes 68 and 19, including “local deliveries only” signs, a jake braking ordinance to minimize noise pollution, a four-way stop at West Beaver and South Clay as well as West Beaver and Jefferson to stop and slow traffic before it reaches Main Street, and signage or a traffic alert system to slow traffic down as it approaches Jefferson and South Clay.

Nucci said PennDOT has reported 31 accidents from 2011 to 2017 at the intersection of West Beaver and South Clay, and Zelienople police noted 14 accidents there from 2018 to 2019.

She said many accidents have resulted from cars crashing onto the properties of the corner homes. In those accidents, cars have narrowly missed gas meters and fire hydrants, with only the trees preventing vehicles from ending up in the homes.

One neighbor's home was struck by a vehicle, and the homeowners installed a rock garden to prevent a future incident. That rock garden would be removed in the PennDOT project, Nucci said.

Another neighboring home has a guide rail protecting the house from being hit, and that guide rail would be removed in the project.

In addition to safety concerns, Nucci said the aesthetic entrance to Zelienople from Beaver County would be made utilitarian after all the trees and shrubs are removed for the project.

“As Zelienople positions itself through the revitalization project as a charming 'Norman Rockwell' town, attention is being paid to its various entryways,” Nucci said. “The current landscaping is an asset to not only our homes, but to the community.”

She also mentioned the increased truck traffic that will accompany the opening of the Royal Dutch Shell Cracker Plant in Potter Township, Beaver County, which is currently one of the largest construction sites in the United States.

Karen Hungerford told the council that the home she shares with her husband, Tom Nesbitt, is the most affected by the proposed project.

Hungerford said simply widening the curb would negate the problems on the curve and affect far fewer properties.

“We feel (the project) is so totally excessive,” Hungerford said.

Manyisha said the project will allow large-scale vehicles to turn at the intersection of South Jefferson and West Beaver streets.

She said the addition of a 4-foot shoulder will provide a vehicle recovery area, and combined with the other features of the project “should alleviate many of the crashes and additional safety concerns currently associated within the project limits.”

Councilwoman Mary Hess said the project is slated to start in 2021.

Manyisha said PennDOT officials are amenable to meeting with the council members and neighbors regarding the project.

Allen Bayer, council president, said he will request a meeting with PennDOT officials this week.

Solicitor Bonnie Brimmeier reminded all those in attendance that the borough has no say in which changes are made on West Beaver Street, as it is a PennDOT road.

Manyisha said PennDOT officials met with the borough council in October, which resulted in the project incorporating solutions to many of the residents' concerns.

“PennDOT personnel will continue to answer questions regarding the project and are available to have a meeting with the residents, if requested,” Manyisha said.