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Washington school officials seek crosswalk

3 min read
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More than 11,000 cars travel Jefferson Avenue in Washington on a daily basis, according to the state Department of Transportation. That’s why Washington School District officials are considering traffic safety measures to protect its students.

Every morning, about 600 students walk to Washington Junior-Senior High School at 311 Allison Ave. Some cross Jefferson Avenue, which is next to the school, during rush-hour traffic to get to classes from the west side of the city.

What concerns Dr. Roberta DiLorenzo, district superintendent, and members of the school board is students cross the street where it’s most convenient and not where it’s safe.

“We’ve been watching this for a couple of years,” DiLorenzo said. “They are crossing in the center of the street and not down at the crosswalk.”

The closest crosswalk is at the intersection of Jefferson and Hall avenues, which is 210 feet from the south entrance of the school.

DiLorenzo said the school board sent a letter to PennDOT requesting a midblock crosswalk. That request was denied Dec. 8. “(PennDOT) said it was unsafe because of the amount of traffic on Jefferson,” DiLorenzo said.

The board appealed PennDOT’s decision in a letter dated Jan. 9, which included examples of other midblock crosswalks in the city. DiLorenzo said Monday the district’s appeal was denied.

“There are three around Washington & Jefferson College,” she said. “We (were) just asking them to reconsider.”

To DiLorenzo’s knowledge, no students have been injured crossing the streets near the school. The district wants to be proactive.

Jay Ofsanik, safety press officer for PennDOT, said students already have a “convenient” spot to cross the street.

“The kids are jaywalking,” he said. “We wouldn’t add a midblock crosswalk because it is more convenient. It won’t be safe for the kids. There’s heavy traffic in the area and it would cause situations where students are walking between stopped vehicles. The district needs to get the kids to use the crosswalk.”

Ofsanik said the three midblock crosswalks the district referenced around the college were not approved by PennDOT.

“We are sending a letter to the city notifying them that the crosswalks weren’t approved,” he said. “Midblock crosswalks can’t be on state roads without approval. We are not sure who put them there.”

On Monday, Mayor Brenda Davis said the city had yet to receive a letter from PennDOT. Davis said rumors circulated the crosswalks were added without the state’s approval. She does not know who put them in or when.

Karen Oosterhous, Washington & Jefferson College director of media relations, could not immediately determine when the crosswalks were added or who approved them.

Four crosswalks were installed in 2009, according to an article in the Observer-Reporter. Then-councilman Matt Staniszewski said the college did not ask for approval from the city. The college installed them under a PennDOT program, a W&J spokesman said. The college informed city police it was installing them and had permission from PennDOT, the former police chief said at the time.

DiLorenzo said officials will discuss the possibility of hiring a crossing guard and look at other options. In the meantime, DiLorenzo said staff repeatedly reminds students they are responsible for their own safety.

“We are educating them,” she said.

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