Cedar Street exit improvements planned to boost safety on Route 30 in Hempfield

PennDOT is planning to add signs, road markings and a high-friction road surface to improve safety for motorists exiting westbound Route 30 at Cedar Street in Hempfield.

The improvements are designed to help prevent crashes by giving drivers advance warning to move into the correct lane and to slow down while heading onto the Cedar Street exit ramp.

“Public feedback led us to look at this area,” said Laina Aquiline, spokesperson for PennDOT District 12. “Additionally, our maintenance forces noticed that they had to replace the signs at the exit ramp more frequently than usual due to drivers crashing into them.”

During a five-year statistical review, PennDOT officials found there were an average of four reportable vehicle crashes per year at the location — exceeding the average three crashes per year that are typical for that type of exit ramp.

“The most frequent cause was drivers not slowing down enough to navigate the ramp safely,” Aquiline said of the wrecks.

Crash numbers for eastbound traffic exiting at Cedar Street were not higher than expected.

A recent crash in the vicinity of the Cedar Street exit occurred April 23, involving a wrong-way driver entering the eastbound lanes at the Mt. Pleasant Road exit of divided Route 30.

According to state police, Nancy Duva, 83, of Greensburg entered the eastbound lanes going west in a Subaru Crosstrek at around 5:15 p.m. At a bend in the highway, just past the Cedar Street exit, police said, the Subaru struck two eastbound vehicles: a Dodge Ram driven by Jace Bartsch, 20, of Wheeling, W.Va., and a Hyundai Elantra driven by Kassidy Warfel, 27, of Latrobe.

Officials said Duva and Bartsch were taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville while Warfel refused treatment.

Crews are expected to begin work on the Cedar Street exit project in late fall. The work will involve nighttime lane closures and a three-day detour of Cedar Street.

Once the project is completed, motorists entering the ramp will see a series of three exit signs with directional arrows and an indication to slow to 15 mph.

According to the project plans, directional arrows also will be marked on the pavement, which will gain a high-friction surface treatment.

Crews apply an aggregate stone material, such as bauxite, over an epoxy layer to create the high-friction surface.

PennDOT officials say the specially treated road surface is expected to decrease a vehicle’s stopping distance while increasing skid resistance and improving drainage during wet road conditions.

A 2023 study by PennDOT and Penn State found that installation of a high-friction road surface was associated with a reduction in crash frequency of between 66% and 76% at intersections.

Details of the project and a related map can be viewed online at PennDOT’s District 12 website, where the public also can leave comments through May 30.

Visit penndot.pa.gov/District12 and select the links labeled “View District 12 Projects” and “Route 30 at Cedar Street Improvements.”