Peters Township Ends Road Congestion With Major Reconstruction

Peters Township Ends Road Congestion
With Major Reconstruction

The original McMurray Road Bottleneck.

The dramatic,new McMurray Road and
Valley Brook Road intersection.

Replacement of the bike trail bridge
spanning four new lanes of traffic.

The key things they needed to know to pull it off they learned in kindergarten: share with others, talk things over and no fighting. So there were few citizens complaints; township, city and state highway officials worked together and that early school advice helped produce a roadway/bike trail/intersection that pleases citizens in a rapidly growing residential area.

This project involved design and construction to upgrade many conditions related to a major intersection of roadways supporting traffic flow through Peters Township. The place where East McMurray road connects to two other main roadways is a hub in the local transportation network. Increasing traffic volumes caused congestion due to the narrow bridge clearances and inadequate sight distances at intersections.

PennDOT Engineering District 12-0 asked Buchart-Horn for preliminary and final design of 0.65 miles of roadway including 800 feet of retaining walls, replacement of the bike trail bridge spanning four lanes of traffic and a 280 foot-long box culvert needed to convey Brush Run through the project area. In addition, the project included the relocation of major utilities along and across the existing road. All work was to be staged to allow for continuous access to local businesses and public and emergency service facilities.

To maximize public awareness, the Township promoted continuous local news coverage of the project and arranged to have the public meetings televised on the local cable channel. Citizen input (for example, sidewalk locations) was shared with Buchart-Horn and PennDOT and incorporated into the project design.

The Township's public awareness effort helped minimize delays, traffic problems and complaints. In fact, many positive comments were received about the phasing of construction and the minimal impact on traffic.

The area now has new sidewalks, handicap ramps and crossovers. The project also improved the ability of Peters Township to provide municipal services to its citizens by increasing the mobility of emergency vehicles such as police, fire and crisis medical services.

The McMurray Bridge Replacement/Intersection Improvement Project improved traffic flow and safety through that area, providing benefits to the traveling public as well as the local community.

The joint efforts of Peters Township officials, state legislators, local groups, Buchart-Horn and PennDOT were key to the project's success. The partnership molded a completed project that eliminates bottleneck congestion, improves access to existing businesses, reduces travel time and enhances safety.

The improved transportation system gives Peters Township a greater opportunity to benefit from a growing residential development.