Jan 25, 2015 2 min read

Kudos to state Rep. Pam Snyder for prodding the state Department of Transportation to make changes at three Greene County intersections where safety concerns have been raised.

The primary area where changes are immediately necessary is on Route 21, intersecting with Grange Run and Hidden Valley roads in Gray Township. Route 21 west, after the fork with Route 18, is mostly a winding road, but there are few – and we mean few – straight stretches, one being the area Snyder pinpointed.

It is not uncommon for a vehicle to be driving behind slower-moving ones, primarily water trucks. But once that straightaway appears, drivers accelerate and speed off, failing to realize there are side roads along the way. We are familiar with at least two fatalities that occurred in this area, and there may well have been more.

PennDOT informed her its investigation revealed that a shortened passing zone is warranted, as well as upgraded warning signs and revised center line markings. The plan is to install oversized signs and placards warning motorists of the intersections, the distance to the intersections and the altered passing zone.

Anything will help, but unfortunately no sign will change the mentality of a driver hellbent on passing a slow-moving truck, despite the fact the area is marked as a passing zone.

Secondly, the state legislator identified state Routes 221 and 19 – the Ruff Creek interchange of Interstate 79 – in Washington Township.

There will be parking restrictions along Routes 221 and 19 in Washington Township where parking on the right of way to access a local business may be impeding motorists’ line of sight at the Ruff Creek interchange of I-79.

Finally, PennDOT is installing more and larger “No Left Turn” signs where northbound Route 88 approaches Shortcut Road in Jefferson Township.

It is refreshing to see where political intervention produced positive results, absent the customary rhetoric beforehand.