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Deadly intersection addressed
Staff writer
A dangerous North Strabane Township intersection that was the scene of a fatal crash last month has been changed to require drivers approaching from all directions to stop.
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James B. Naser, 44, of North Strabane, was killed Nov. 19 in a three-vehicle crash at the intersection. His 8-year-old daughter and two other young girls who were sitting in the back seat of his car were injured. Naser was making a left turn from Route 519 southbound onto South Central when his vehicle was hit. Police continue to investigate the crash.
The intersection also was the site of a Nov. 10, 2004, crash in which Garry Lee David Jr. of Hiller, Fayette County, was killed.
The state Department of Transportation received a request from township officials to look at the intersection and consider the possibility of a traffic-control device.
"We were able to use some information the traffic consultant for Wal-Mart had compiled," said Jay Ofsanik, safety press officer for PennDOT. "We were able to use their traffic volumes to confirm that the intersection warranted a four-way stop."
Wal-Mart has proposed a new store on Route 519 near Interstate 79 in North Strabane, about a mile from the Route 519/South Central intersection.
Ofsanik said the stop signs would be permanent. He did not rule out further examination of the intersection if Wal-Mart decides to build.
Township police Chief Dan Strimel said the intersection has been a source of complaints for years.
"In addition to the fatal crashes, we've had a number that involved injuries or vehicles that had to be towed," Strimel said. "Plus, we've had a lot of other crashes where people have not been injured, but don't require a report to be made to the state."
Township police will monitor the intersection, giving drivers about a month to adjust to the stop signs and issuing warnings before they start writing citations. Strimel said the electronic message boards provided by PennDOT should provide ample warning to drivers.
"When you are used to getting from Point A to Point B for years without stopping, it is going to take some getting used to," Strimel said. "Drivers may want to go through the intersection even more carefully. You can't assume the driver is going to stop at any stop sign."
The intersection of Route 519 at the off-ramp from Route 19 north also is scheduled to be upgraded to improve safety.
"If people are not from the area, they often don't see the stop sign," Strimel said of that intersection, which also has been the scene of several fatal wrecks. "A larger stop sign will be installed, and improvements will be made to the visibility."
