Traffic light going up at busy Verona intersection

A traffic light is being installed at Allegheny River Boulevard and Wildwood Avenue in Verona.

Crews from Prospect-based Bronder Technical Services put the pole in front of Senge Graphics.

Borough Manager Jerry Kenna said Duquesne Light needs to turn on the power, and PennDOT requires at least two weeks of it set to “flashing lights” before it will be set to a normal light pattern. It is expected to be operational by the end of the month.

The intersection currently has a stop sign on Wildwood Avenue and another for boulevard travelers coming into town toward South Avenue. Traffic along the boulevard in the other direction does not have to stop.

The project is paid for through a $200,000 PennDOT grant. State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, announced the grant award last year.

“Installing a traffic signal at this busy intersection will not only minimize congestion, but it will also ensure the safety of our residents who travel these busy roadways on a daily basis,” DeLuca said in an email.

Kenna said the borough tried to get a traffic light at that intersection for several years, but never had the money for it.

“The traffic at that intersection can be very dangerous,” Kenna said. “We often times have people who run stop signs and we’ve had a lot of accidents there in the past. A traffic light is going to make it much safer.”

There are traffic lights in Verona by the McDonald’s in the shopping plaza and at Allegheny River Boulevard and South and Center avenues.