The traffic situation in Cranberry Township has changed tremendously over the last two decades, but there has been a constant: the goal of making sure people can get where they need to be as quickly as possible.

As we learned in the Wednesday, March 27, edition of the Butler Eagle, one of the people who has been key to those efforts is getting ready to retire after 23 years working for the township.

Marty McKinney started as a consultant and then was hired as an electrician before becoming the manager of traffic operations. And he’s proud of the work he’s done and how seriously the township takes solving traffic tie-ups.

“If you listen to the world, one of the major problems here in Cranberry Township is that there’s too much traffic,” McKinney said. “And my answer to that is I defy you to find a community that’s working any harder to manage traffic. You won’t find it.”

And there is no denying things have changed dramatically over the last decades. As the Cranberry Township website notes, in the 1960s, there was a single traffic signal in the area: a blinking light at the intersection of Route 19 and Mars Road.

As growth began in the 1990s, the number grew to 15, with a fiber optic control system connecting them. Now the township handles more than 50, including several in surrounding areas.

Township manager Dan Santoro credits McKinney with creating a state-of-the-art traffic system with real-time monitoring and other technological advances.

“Marty has helped envision and grow the transportation network of smart signals and smart traffic technology that we have throughout the township,” Santoro said. “Marty was here with us in the infancy and was instrumental to bring us to where we are today.”

More than the technology he’s implemented, McKinney’s dedication to solving problems and listening to people has made an impact.

“My favorite part of the job is meeting people and solving people’s quandaries,” McKinney said. “A lot of people call with a complaint and they’re mad about something. We call them back, and we talk to them and they find out we’re listening. And we get a positive result from that.”

That attitude, along with his innovative ideas, show why his time in Cranberry Township has been a success.

For that, we salute Marty McKinney and wish him well in retirement.

— JK