Virtual Meeting Held On Peters Township Project

Peters Township residents were able to attend a PennDot public hearing virtually for an upcoming road project. Rachel Duda, Assistant District Executive for Design and Brian Svesnik, Project Manager were on hand to educate residents about a roundabout that is scheduled for construction at the intersection of Valleybrook Road and Bebout Road. Those roads currently carry between 11,000 and 6,000 vehicles respectively on a daily basis. During peak travel times traffic suffers from heavy backups. The roundabout design was chosen because it is less expensive to maintain as compared to an intersection with turning lanes and a traffic light. Roundabouts carry about 30% more traffic than stop controlled intersections. Questions during the presentation were raised about accidents and officials stated that accident rates dropped by 21%, serious injury rates were reduced by 77% and fatalities by 100% when compared to traditional stop controlled intersections. Speed is controlled by the physical design of the roundabout. Cars cannot navigate the roundabout at a high rate of speed. Usually speed is 25 miles per hour through the roundabout. PennDot expects to start the project in October of 2022 and it will last one construction season. The public is invited to make comments to PennDot at their website.