Thorpe wants sign before Route 903 bridge

The latest clash between Jim Thorpe borough and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation could come over signs at what borough council members said has become a dangerous intersection on Route 209.

According to council, it has heard complaints from several people about vehicles approaching the traffic signal, where Routes 209 and 903 intersect at the end of the Sgt. Andrew J. “AJ” Baddick Memorial Bridge, from the Nesquehoning side.

“From what we’re hearing, those vehicles are sometimes coming at a high rate of speed and don’t have enough time to stop when the traffic signal is red,” Council President Greg Strubinger said. “We even had a situation where a truck was coming to the signal too fast, couldn’t stop, and ended up going around other vehicles that were stopped at the light. That type of thing creates a very dangerous situation.”

Council hopes placing a sign along Route 209 to warn drivers that a signal is ahead may help get a grip on the issue.

Who would pay for that “Signal Ahead” sign was a point of discussion Thursday during a borough workshop.

After sending a letter to the state, the borough feels it has its answer.

“PennDOT basically said we would be responsible for that installation,” Strubinger said.

That didn’t sit well with Council Vice President Jay Miller, who said he feels PennDOT is shirking its duty on a state-owned highway.

“We are responsible for safety, I understand that,” Miller said. “But PennDOT is gradually giving up all of their responsibilities. A blind man can see that. I can’t see giving them one inch. If we start putting signs on state property, they are going to twist that to include culvert and catch basin repairs that they want us to do now.”

While Miller pointed out that PennDOT did the engineering work on the traffic light in question, borough Manager Maureen Sterner said the borough does own the signal now and is responsible for its maintenance.

“If we wanted to put a sign up letting drivers know there was a signal ahead, we would need to go through PennDOT to amend the permit for the traffic light,” Sterner said. “They would have to approve it, and then we would have to buy the sign and put it up.”

PennDOT spokesman Ron Young confirmed the interpretation on Monday.

“A sign like this would be part of the traffic signal system, which is owned and maintained by the borough,” Young said. “Municipalities own and maintain signals. Signal permits are issued by PennDOT to ensure uniformity of signal design and operation.”

Miller said he feels by writing the initial letter to PennDOT letting them know of the concerns, the borough has covered its bases.

“If an accident happens there, we put (PennDOT) on notice. End of story,” he said.

No decisions were made Thursday regarding purchasing a sign.