Work nearly finished on reconfigured Route 119 in Youngwood; safety upgrades a priority

Sep. 22—The end is within sight for motorists in Youngwood, now that PennDOT has completed all but the finishing touches on its $23.5 million reconstruction of the Route 119 corridor through the borough.

The arrival of the covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 disrupted work on the road, which has been ripped up for about three years. That included initial utility work.

The project was "a disruption to the residents and the people using Route 119," Youngwood council President Scott Palmquist acknowledged. But, he said, "If you want to move things forward, you have to go through some inconveniences.

"The key word was patience. We're at the point now where people don't have a lot of patience left. Thank goodness it's coming to a close."

While updating the crumbling road surface, the project added 22 "chicanes" — staggered curves that force traffic to shift gradually from side to side and are meant to curb speeding that has long been a concern in the town.

There are 29 "bumpouts" from the sidewalk that delineate pedestrian crossings and on-street parking areas.

PennDOT also reduced the speed limit on the route's northbound lanes, which follow Third Street, from 35 mph to 25 mph, matching that on Fourth Street's southbound lanes.

To emphasize the speed limit, there are painted "25 mph" and "slow" markings on the pavement, a flashing electronic speed reminder for southbound motorists entering the borough and a flashing 25 mph warning device on Third Street.

Some skepticism

Before and during the project construction, some residents were skeptical the street redesign would have any impact on speeding. Borough officials are optimistic but note success will depend on how well motorists conform to the posted limit.

"I think it's going to help slow down traffic," said Palmquist. "Ultimately, it comes down to the users of Route 119 obeying the speed limit."

State police have been diligent in enforcing the limit, "but they can't be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said.

He said first responders have reported fewer vehicles in town being sideswiped by motorists traveling on the reconfigured stretch of Route 119. But, he acknowledged, "We're very early into this."

So far, what wrecks there have been along the revamped corridor have been minor, according to Lloyd Crago, who chairs council's public safety committee and is Youngwood's fire chief.

"I think it will help calm traffic down with the bumpouts," Crago said. "Time will tell. When it was a straightaway, it was one of the highest places for vehicle (crashes).

"I think it's good for Youngwood. It's definitely going to help with safety."

Youngwood Mayor Kris Long asked motorists to "respect our town and respect the 25 mph speed limit." He said those who speed "probably wouldn't like it in their own town."

Another safety feature was relocation and redesign of an access point off Third Street to the shopping plaza anchored by a Shop 'n Save supermarket. Previously, Palmquist said, some motorists exiting the plaza were tempted to drive the wrong way on Third.

"People were going the wrong way for a quarter of a block to cut up a side street," he said.

The Route 119 project covered a 1.5-mile stretch, extending into adjacent areas of Hempfield and New Stanton. The project also updated eight traffic signals along the corridor, improved storm drainage and replaced sidewalks — extending access to the Five Star Trail at Depot and Hillis streets and constructing accessible curb ramps at intersections.

Parking issue

Resident Linda Marino has expressed concern that some sections of sidewalk, where the pavement extends around either side of utility poles, may be difficult to navigate for those using wheelchairs. She also is concerned whether residents along Route 119 who have relied on accessible parking spaces at the front of their homes will be able to continue parking along the route.

The parking issue is one that council is continuing to discuss, according to Palmquist. He said a borough committee is "working with our solicitor and taking advice from PennDOT on the safest way to handle requests in regard to handicap parking, if you exit from the left side into traffic."

He said requests for accessible parking spaces are reviewed by a safety committee, which makes recommendations to council.

Since the road's redesign, he said, "We have to look at: Is it safe for somebody to exit onto Route 119, getting out on that side. The last thing we want to do is to put somebody at risk. We want to do what is right and safe."

Utility poles weren't relocated for the project, and the new sidewalks were designed to be passable for those with physical challenges, according to Crago.

"They can go from one end of town to the other without any problem now, on both streets," he said.

Testing of traffic lights was among final steps needed to close out the Route 119 project, according to PennDOT.

Another task, Palmquist said, is ensuring that manhole covers are at an acceptable level compared to the road surface.

To make up for time lost to covid-related restrictions, PennDOT said, it "lifted winter shutdown restrictions and allowed the contractor to work out of traffic sequence on the drainage work on southbound Route 119 while simultaneously working on northbound Route 119."

Golden Triangle Construction Co. was the general contractor for the project, which was designed by Stantec Consulting Services.

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County awarded a $7.2 million contract to Jet Jack Inc. of Oakdale to replace water and sewer lines in Youngwood over three years, in conjunction with the Route 119 project. PennDOT was expected to pay for 75% of the related costs.

"We're all pleased that it's completed except for some final things," Long said of the work on Route 119. "It's given our town a fresh new look."

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .