Route 30 signal upgrades in Hempfield, Jeannette could take through year's end

Motorists on a stretch of Route 30 in Hempfield and Jeannette will have to put up with traffic restrictions for the better part of a year as PennDOT updates traffic signals at 11 intersections to assist the flow of vehicles.

Work is expected to occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, with restrictions beginning 7 a.m. Monday and tentatively continuing through the end of the year.

Lane restrictions will take place as needed between North Greengate Road to the east and Possum Hollow Road to the west, as construction crews occupy center and turning lanes.

Most of the 11 traffic signals will get new components, including controllers and signals for vehicles and pedestrians, according to Jay Ofsanik, acting press officer for PennDOT District 12. Where needed, he said, curb ramps also will be updated to comply with standards for handicapped accessibility.

A completely new signal will be installed at the intersection of North Greengate and Tollgate Hill roads.

One of the main focuses of the project will be equipping the intersections with Adaptive Signal Control Technology, Ofsanik said.

He explained the technology, suited for the diversity of Route 30 traffic, “allows signals to talk to each other and adjust signal timings in real time, based on current traffic conditions. With real-time data, adaptive signal systems may be able to pull extra efficiency out of a signal/corridor as compared to the typical time-of-day coordinated signal timings.”

PennDOT thought to begin work on the project last summer. But, Ofsanik said, the start date was postponed until materials were available and manpower and equipment could be scheduled. Bronder Technical Services was awarded a $2.4 million contract for the work.

A similar traffic flow system has been in effect since 2016 on a 10-mile segment of Route 22 in Murrysville, Monroeville and Salem.

The time-of-day system, based on collected traffic data, will be used to regulate updated traffic signals that are being installed at nine key intersections in downtown Latrobe. That $3.4 million project, which also includes improvements to curb ramps, is slated to wrap up by this summer, Ofsanik said.