Roundabout construction requires summerlong road closure in Allegheny Township

May 10—An ongoing construction project in Allegheny Township soon will have motorists driving in circles, but for all the right reasons.

Township officials long have sought a solution for a problematic traffic area at the intersection of Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road.

Enter the roundabout.

"That intersection has traditionally been a high accident area," Township Manager Greg Primm said. "The roundabout will provide traffic calming and safety to the area, resulting in less accidents."

A roundabout is a one-way, circular intersection allowing vehicles to yield and merge, all while keeping traffic flowing.

The "Y" intersection has been the location of numerous accidents and long backups during peak travel times, Primm said.

"In terms of vehicle crashes, that intersection is one of the top problem areas in the township," said Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher.

Primm noted the intersection site was first visited in 2013 when Supervisor Ren Steele was appointed to the Public Participation Panel through PennDOT and Southwest Planning Commission.

"He worked to get the project identified on the 12-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). His efforts resulted in the project being placed on the TIP and, ultimately, becoming a reality," Primm said.

Large backhoes and construction equipment flank both sides of La Belle Vue Road, as work is underway to complete the project by late summer 2025.

The total price of the project is $7.7 million, said Dante Wright, PennDOT District 12 inspector.

Wright said the project is on schedule, but ongoing issues with utilities may impact the project timeline.

"Currently, all the utilities have relocated the wooden poles for the project, and the existing telecommunication lines need to be transferred onto the new pole locations," Wright said. "All we can do is suggest to the communications companies that it's their turn to move on this. We have received little to no communication on when they will begin on this."

The intersection is near a traffic light where Melwood and Hyde Park roads cross Route 356.

"This area has been a center of focus for crashes," Fisher said. "Southbound traffic has no stop sign and it's not always clear, and they can go right or go straight. It's a confusing intersection, and it has poor sight lines. Cars sometimes completely run the stop sign."

The prime contractor is Ligonier Construction Co.

According to PennDOT, roundabouts offer improved safety to motorists because they reduce vehicle speeds to 25 mph or less and all turns are right turns.

This significantly reduces the severity of crashes over those at traditional intersections, according to PennDOT.

In a 2022 PennDOT roundabout study based on police-submitted crash reports from 2021-22, roundabouts from 36 locations in Pennsylvania showed the total number of crashes decreased by 9%, suspected serious injuries were reduced by 76% and minor injuries were reduced by 22%.

Fisher said the roundabout will also have lighting installed. The rural intersection currently doesn't have street lighting.

"This roundabout will be lighted at night. That's going to be a huge improvement," Fisher said.

The roundabout will be constructed this summer and will be an asphalt roundabout with concrete curving.

Summer shutdown

The first road closure to allow for the construction of the roundabout is scheduled to begin June 3 and last until Aug. 27.

During that time, Route 356 just north of Melwood Road will be closed to all traffic while Route 356 south of the construction area will be open to local traffic to La Belle Vue road.

The posted northbound Route 356 detour beginning June 3 will start where Route 66 intersects Route 356 in Washington Township. Drivers will be directed to take Route 66 north to the Vandergrift Bridge and through Vandergrift, then onto Route 56 east. They'll make a left onto Hyde Park Road, go past Kiski Area High School, and make a right back onto Route 356.

The southbound detour will be the reverse.

Officials say they know the posted detour is long.

"PennDOT can't detour onto local and municipal township roads because the average daily traffic would be too much heavy truck traffic on a road not capable of handling that," Wright said. "If everyone took La Belle Vue Road, we would have to rebuild that road after the project ended."

The construction zone must be reopened and traffic unrestricted by Aug. 28 to accommodate the reopening of school.

Wright said the six-phase project is expected to be completed by May 3, 2025.

Fisher praised the progress and significant clearing of brush and growth along La Belle Vue Road.

"The work they've done clearing so far has helped with the sight lines," he said.

Supervisor James Morabito asked for motorists to be patient with the detours and road closures.

"This is going to create a lot of delays and inconveniences to everyone while this project is taking place, but I feel it will benefit everyone once it's finalized," Morabito said. "I'm hoping the new roundabout will eliminate the traffic congestion problems and all of the accidents that have occurred over the years at that very treacherous intersection."

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .