Zelienople traffic study worthwhile
Driving down Main Street in Zelienople usually takes longer than you would expect. There are three traffic lights on the main drag, but it’s common for each one to stop a car for more than one green light cycle, because of the number of vehicles that need to get past each junction.
Zelienople recently received a $213,300 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to study potential alternative routes that could divert or ease traffic within the borough.
The borough sees traffic from two state-owned routes, 19 and 68, so this study could bode well for those travelers, as well as those who live in Zelienople and routinely drive on Main Street.
While any possible solutions to the traffic are likely years away, the study is expected to commence sometime in 2026, according to Zelienople borough manager Andrew Spencer.
However long it takes, it’s important that local and state government are attuned to these issues, because although heavy traffic on one street may seem like a small gripe, it actually affects many people and their daily lives. According to the latest statewide traffic volume map, about 15,000 vehicles pass through the heart of Zelienople every day. That is a lot of people who could be helped, and the seconds or even minutes that are saved each day by a traffic fix really add up over the course of just a year of driving.
Spencer said that the study will determine whether major road or infrastructure changes are necessary, and the state will base changes on its findings. But as it stands now, it seems like a fix will be necessary.
— ET
