PennDOT: $2.5 million Route 30 project in Hempfield makes for less congestion at red lights

If you’ve noticed better traffic flow recently on Route 30 in Hempfield, you’re not alone.

A $2.5 million project upgrading traffic signals on 3 miles of the highway between North Greengate Road and Possum Hollow Road is almost done. While PennDOT officials await final work between the contractor and Verizon, the signals are working together in an effort to reduce congestion on a section of the road heavily populated by businesses.

“The signals are running in coordinated mode,” said Melissa Maczko, acting safety press officer with District 12. “That means that the signals are all running on the same schedule so that vehicles traveling (Route 30) will get more time to flow through with fewer red lights.”

The project, which started in 2020, added adaptive traffic signals at 11 intersections to streamline travel and address air quality. Adaptive traffic signals can collect data on traffic levels through radar technology and adjust the light cycle to conditions, rather than changing from green to red at regular intervals.

The signals at the intersection with North Greengate and Tollgate Hill roads were replaced, and minor upgrades were made to the remaining 10 signals. The cameras on the updated signals do not record video but rather detect vehicles waiting for a green light, Maczko said.

The average daily traffic on that section of highway ranges from 36,000 vehicles near Greensburg to 27,000 closer to Jeannette, according to PennDOT traffic volume maps.

The system will be completely operational in spring 2023. Maczko said the contractor, Bronder Technical Services, is working with Verizon to get high-speed internet equipment needed to run it.

A similar project on a 10-mile stretch of Route 22 in Murrysville, Monroeville and Salem was completed in 2016.

Parkway east changes

A 14-mile stretch of the Parkway East is targeted for traffic congestion improvements between Grant Street and Monroeville in a PennDOT proposal. District 11 press officer Steve Cowan said the active traffic management system would have a variety of measures to control traffic based on real-time information, including overhead lane signals, lowered speed limits under certain conditions, detection when vehicles are traveling the wrong way and message boards and gates at entrance ramps to the highway, among other things.

“This system would be tied into the Western Regional Traffic Management Center, allowing us to proactively manage traffic flow and vehicle speeds in the event of an incident and during periods of recurring daily congestion, as well as to facilitate route maintenance and construction activities,” he said.

The project is estimated at $45 million for design and construction, which could begin in late 2024 or early 2025, based on funding approval. The highway is traveled by an average of 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles daily, according to PennDOT traffic maps.