JACKSON TWP — The Seneca Valley School District is petitioning the state Department of Transportation to install blinking hazard lights on Interstate 79 to warn motorists of the possibility of traffic backups during peak traffic hours at the school.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale this past week sent a letter to state officials telling them that sometimes during peak traffic hours during the morning and afternoon school rush, traffic can back up from the off-ramp and spill on to I-79.

The traffic backups come when more than 750 staff members, 250 student drivers and 100 school buses are attempting either to enter or leave the secondary campus.

That high volume of traffic often has to wait at a traffic light on the off-ramps from Interstate 79, which in turn can cause traffic to back up onto the interstate. The issue has become a “serious safety concern,” according to Vitale.

There haven’t been any accidents because of that traffic backup, but Vitale doesn’t want to wait until there is an accident.

“During the last several months of school, several accidents took place on I-79 within a mile of the ramp,” the letter said. “While unrelated to Seneca Valley, they did bring to light the need for additional traffic measures to assist us in our efforts to keep travelers safe, especially when traffic tie-ups are occurring daily.”

In the letter, Vitale urges state officials to install hazard lights on the exit sign for Seneca Valley off I-79, lights that would flash between 7 and 8 a.m. and 2 and 3 p.m. on school days.

Those lights would warn drivers that slower traffic is ahead and could help reduce incidents in the area.

Vitale sent the letter after consulting with Jackson Township police Chief Terry Seilhamer, who came up with the idea.

Seilhamer couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.