Irwin tries to tackle $182 problem caused by Dunkin' traffic snag

Imagine paying $182 for a cup of coffee and a doughnut?

Outrageous?

But some thirsty motorists have been just doing that. They stop for their morning coffee and a doughnut at the Dunkin’ store along the eastbound lanes of Route 30 in Irwin. But when they exit, they make a left turn to the westbound lanes of Route 30. They do it despite a sign at the exit that reads “No Left Turn.”

That puts them in the sights of the Irwin police, who have stepped up patrols by the Dunkin’ location to prevent those wrong turns into the westbound lanes, which could lead to accidents on the busy stretch of the highway, said Irwin police Chief Dan Wensel.

One motorist who was stopped for the traffic violation told Wensel he just had to have his morning coffee.

“That’s a $182 cup of coffee,” Wensel said, referring to the fine a motorist would pay if pleading guilty or being found guilty of the traffic violation.

When Irwin council discussed at its Jan. 13 meeting the ongoing traffic problems at Dunkin’, Wensel promised he would step up patrols. Even with the sign telling motorists not to make a left turn, Councilman Frank Rossi pointed out customers were making the turn.

Irwin police snagged a few motorists doing just that last week, including two within a 20-minute span Friday morning. And that was by an Irwin police officer in a marked sport utility vehicle with police lights atop the roof, watching the traffic exit the business.

Wensel, along with borough Manager Shari Martino and Engineer Lucien Bove, met with representatives from PennDOT and Dunkin’ to try to arrive at a solution that has been a safety problem for the past few years. In addition, vehicles stack up behind each other in the right lane of eastbound Route 30, waiting to get into the doughnut shop because so many other vehicles are backed-up in the drive-thru lane.

“It is definitely dangerous,” Wensel said of the vehicles stopped on Route 30, forcing traffic to turn into the passing lane of Route 30 eastbound, where other vehicles are speeding by the area.

Wensel said he has to figure out a way to stop traffic from stacking on the right lane of eastbound Route 30, without endangering the safety of his police officer.

A spokesman for DB Real Estate Assets LLC I of Canton, Mass., which purchased the property in July 2013 for $543,000, could not be reached for comment.

PennDOT will continue to work with all parties involved in finding a solution to the problem, PennDOT spokesman Jay Ofsanik said.

“Nothing has been decided at this time,” Ofsanik said.

Dunkin’ Brands said it would have an engineer study the property to try to develop a plan solve the problem, Bove said.

Four years ago, Bove had developed a new plan to get more cars stacked in the store parking lot while waiting to go through the drive-thru lane.

One potential solution to preventing traffic from crossing both eastbound lanes to travel westbound would not be feasible with the current size of the entrance, Bove said. Raising the concrete in the middle of the entryway to steer exiting traffic eastbound — called a “pork chop” in transportation jargon — could present other problems. It would make the entrance too narrow for trucks to turn into the property, Bove said.

PennDOT owns a right of way along the property. A stacking lane might be created by cutting away at landscaping in front of the store, but that might allow only for four or five cars, Bove said.