Commuters parking at the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s park and ride lot along Route 30 in North Huntingdon will have to wait a little longer to learn when the parking lot will be repaved and where commuters traveling by bus to Pittsburgh can park during the project.
The site plan for repaving and expansion of the parking lot near the intersection of Carpenter Lane and Route 30 will not be ready for the township planning commission until at least March, said Alan Blahovec, authority executive director. The authority’s engineering firm is working on the plans for the project, Blahovec said.
The plans presentation had been postponed from January to February. The site abuts the Sheetz convenience store at the corner of Route 30 and Carpenter Lane.
Geo-technical work must be conducted at the site to determine the stability of the slope, said Andrew Blenko, North Huntingdon planning and zoning director.
The township wants the authority to present plans for bringing its parking lot up to township code, which would include lighting and landscaping.
The transit authority wants to expand the parking lot from about 250 to 329 spaces. That expansion would involve making parking spaces on the footprint of the former Tomato Patch restaurant, which burned down, Blenko said.
Blahovec said the authority still is seeking an alternative area for the commuters to park while the existing lot is being repaved.
The project has dragged on since November 2017, when the authority initially proposed creating about 300 parking spaces and adding lighting and landscaping. That project was estimated to cost about $2.4 million.
