Route 30 section could be renamed in honor of former fire chief Ed Hutchinson

Part of a busy local highway could soon be renamed in honor of the late J. Edward Hutchinson, Greensburg’s legendary former fire chief.

State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said she is working with colleagues and the Hutchinson family to christen a two-mile stretch of Route 30 as the J. Edward “Hutch” Hutchinson Memorial Bypass. Hutchinson, 96, died in April. He was fire chief 63 years before his retirement in 2016.

“I can’t think of another person like him,” Ward said. “He organized to protect our community, and he put his own blood, sweat and tears into it, all while still helping the people when they needed it.”

Ward introduced a bill suggesting the honor and summarizing Hutchinson’s long career of public service.

In addition to serving on the fire department, he established a dive rescue team and bloodhound team, and he helped create Mutual Aid Ambulance Service and the Westmoreland County 911 system.

Ward’s bill proposes renaming the section of Route 30 between North Greengate Road and East Pittsburgh Street, which travels through Hempfield, Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg and South Greensburg.

The bill is under consideration by the senate transportation committee, which Ward chairs.

If it is successful, it will create the second local thoroughfare named after a member of the Hutchinson family. The Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass is a toll road linking Delmont and New Stanton, carrying traffic on Route 66 around Greensburg.

Amos K. Hutchinson, J. Edward Hutchinson’s older brother, was a longtime member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He’d worked years for a bypass road and died in 1990, shortly before construction began.

“Both those brothers were special here, and it speaks to the influence and impact the family has had on our community,” Ward said.

Ward said she attempted to introduce the bill last year, but her efforts came near the end of a busy legislative session, and the bill never got a vote. She’s confident that, by getting an early start this year, the measure will pass with no difficulty.

The road will be one way to honor J. Edward Hutchinson among many, she said.

“He’ll always be remembered, for as long as people tell stories, because there are so many Hutch stories out there,” she said.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.