North Huntingdon officials want PennDOT to conduct a traffic study on Guffey Road as a prelude to reducing the 35 mph speed limit.
Township commissioners approved a request for the traffic study on a portion of the road that runs from the intersection of Main Street and Barnes Lake Road to the intersection with Turner Valley Road, not far from the Youghiogheny River.
North Huntingdon is asking the state to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph on the road because of residents’ concerns for safety and speeding on the road, said Jeff Silka, township manager.
A section of Guffey Road, from Mickanin to Turner Valley Road, has been closed since July 19 to repair a slide and is not expected to reopen until Monday, according to PennDOT.
In studying whether to lower the speed limit, PennDOT will consider the daily traffic volume on the road as well as crash statistics from about five years, said Jay Ofsanik, PennDOT spokesman.
“They’ll (engineers) determine what is the best speed for the road,” Ofsanik said.
The traffic study can take a few months, Ofsanik said.
If PennDOT determines the speed limit should be changed, Ofsanik said North Huntingdon would be responsible for the cost of changing the speed limit signs.
