Traffic pattern changes coming after crash killed Pittsburgh-area high school student
DRAVOSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — Ever since the tragic death of a Serra Catholic High School student last month, people have been calling for changes in Dravosburg.
Police said the driver of the van carrying Samantha Kalkbrenner tried to make a left turn from Third Street onto Richland Avenue when it was hit by a driver traveling north on Richland Avenue. Kalkbrenner was killed.
Now, changes are happening. Officials from the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, PennDOT, Dravosburg and state Rep. Nick Pisciottano had a meeting about safety changes.
"Everybody that we have worked with in the wake of this tragedy has worked to push this as fast as possible and fast track all of these changes," Pisciottano said.
Earlier this week, Allegheny County installed "no left turn" and "all traffic must turn right" signs at Third and Fourth streets, as well as Beech Alley. The idea is to stop drivers from turning left.
The county also painted "slow" pavement markings on Richland Avenue north of the Mansfield Bridge and before the road's intersection with Third Street.
Pisciottano said jersey barriers will go up as soon as Dravosburg approves them at next week's borough council meeting.
"The county is going to come in and extend the jersey barriers up the middle of the road here so that people going up the hill are separated from people going down the hill," he said.
A PennDOT spokesperson said a traffic study is underway to see if a signal is warranted at Richland and Fifth.
"This will happen before the end of the year. I can say that," Pisciottano said.
Resident Pam McCombs wants to see more speed enforcement.
"I hoped that they would make changes because the traffic is way way too fast," she said. "It's a shame that it takes something like that to make change."
An Allegheny County Public Works spokesperson says a new speed limit sign is being made and will be placed facing southbound traffic on Richland Avenue opposite Fourth Street.
A Serra Catholic spokesperson said the three students injured in the crash are all back in school. The van driver is also out of the hospital.
A county police spokesperson said the crash is still under investigation.