Zelienople, PennDOT set to explore solutions for Main Street traffic congestion
Zelienople and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials are preparing to begin a comprehensive traffic study aimed at addressing increased congestion on the borough’s Main Street.
The borough recently received a $213,300 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development to study potential alternative routes that could divert or ease traffic coming from the busy, state-owned routes 19 and 68.
While any possible solutions are likely years away, the study is expected to commence sometime in 2026, according to Zelienople borough manager Andrew Spencer.
“We were awarded this grant to basically study options and routes to alleviate some of the traffic congestion in Zelienople,” Spencer said. “The study hasn’t started yet. I can’t specifically say what we’re going to do because that’s what the study will look at.”
Spencer emphasized that, while the borough has discussed possible solutions internally, no plans can be pushed to the forefront until data is collected.
Once underway, he surmised it will take at least one year to complete.
Main Street’s congestion has become increasingly noticeable in recent years, with several unavoidable factors adding traffic to the road. According to the latest statewide traffic volume map, about 15,000 vehicles pass through the heart of Zelienople every day.
“All the state routes converge in Zelienople,” Spencer said. “The traffic has to flow through here to go anywhere, which creates a hassle.”
Route 19, which passes directly through downtown, is commonly used as a detour when Interstate 79 experiences major accidents or emergency closures. When that occurs, heavy highway traffic is routed straight through the borough.
“That certainly isn’t a frequent thing but once in a while, when there’s an accident on I-79, sometimes they have to dump traffic into Zelienople,” Spencer said. “There’s just nowhere else to put it.”
Adding to the challenge is continued residential and commercial development north of the borough, which has been pushing even more vehicles toward the same choke point near Main Street.
Since Main Street is a state-owned highway, any significant improvements would require PennDOT involvement.
Spencer said the agency, however, has been in regular contact with borough officials.
“PennDOT is aware of some of these issues, and they’ve been very good at communicating with us as far as things that they may be able to do.” he said. “I believe they understand.”
However, Spencer stressed the study will determine whether major road or infrastructure changes are necessary. Until those results arrive, the borough cannot speculate on specific solutions.
“I think that’s what the study is going to point out,” he said. “It will look at all those possibilities.”
While Zelienople has worked on traffic mitigation tied to individual development projects like Glade Run, Spencer said the impending study represents the borough’s first significant step in taking a wider, long-term look at congestion across one of the busiest corridors in the county.
“This will be the first step to take sort of a broader view,” he said.
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Large trucks traverse downtown during midday traffic in Zelienople on Nov. 17, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Large trucks traverse downtown during midday traffic in Zelienople on Nov. 17, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Traffic stays backed up well past the Strand Theater during midday traffic in Zelienople on Nov. 17, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Large trucks often have difficulty making a sharp turn at the intersection of Main Street and New Castle Road during midday traffic in Zelienople on Nov. 17, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Large trucks often have difficulty making a sharp turn at the intersection of Main Street and New Castle Road during midday traffic in Zelienople on Nov. 17, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
