FORWARD TWP — At the end of May, the township sent a letter to the state Department of Transportation requesting a traffic study on the intersection of Evans City Road and Old Route 68.

The township is hoping this traffic study would be the first step in restricting left turns from Evans City Road onto Old Route 68, and vice versa. The intent of such a restriction would be to reduce the possibility of vehicle stacking and rear-end collisions.

“Truth be told, most vehicles on State Route 68 (Evans City Road) exceed the speed limit, even in the areas of these intersections,” wrote township manager Tom Hartwig in the letter to PennDOT. “Add to this common speeding problem the fact that drivers are distracted by cellphones and navigation screens in their vehicles, and the probability for accidents ... increases exponentially.”

According to the letter sent to PennDOT, the idea was born at a PennDOT Connects meeting on May 28 in a discussion between Forward Township Supervisor Susan Oliver-Stough and PennDOT District 10 municipal services specialist Cory Shaffer. This discussion was triggered by the number of crashes which occur at the intersection, the letter said.