Penn Township makes progress on Airport Road intersection
Penn Township is one step closer to resolving one of the most dangerous intersections in Butler County.
The township is very close to obtaining the required right-of-way permits to begin work on improving the traffic signals at the intersection of Airport Road and Route 8, supervisors learned during Tuesday night’s meeting
The township and its engineering partner, Trans Associates, has obtained two out of the three necessary easements and expects to obtain the third one shortly. This is expected to be one of the last steps before the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation allows Penn Township to put the project up for bid.
“We’re waiting for one signature on the right-of-way, and then we will be sending them off to get filed with the county,” Ward said. “Once they're filed, then our engineer will send them to PennDOT.”
The intersection at Route 8 and Airport Road has been a matter of public concern for years, as it has been a hot spot for motor accidents — some fatal. Ward himself was involved in a crash at that same intersection more than a decade ago.
Penn Township attempted multiple times to obtain grant money to update the traffic signals at the intersection before they were finally awarded roughly $450,000 last year from PennDOT’s Automated Red Light Enforcement grant.
Penn Township needs to obtain right-of-way easements for three of the signal poles which will be used for the intersection improvement project.
The township estimates that once they receive final approval from PennDOT, it will take roughly a year to finish the project, with the first two months dedicated to receiving and sorting through bids.
