PennDOT Begins Road Construction On Route 8 In Hampton Twp.
HAMPTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A $2.7 million project here the intersection of Hardies Road and Route 8 is one of three on the table for the road.
Its purpose is to improve safety and it couldn't have come at a better time after one person was recently killed there.
Today, PennDOT started the road changes that have been in the works for years.
Rev. Dr. Ted Martin, Senior Pastor at Hampton Presbyterian Church said, "Here at the church we can hear the sirens firing when there's an accident and it's unfortunate, because it's a blind hill that comes up."
Steve Cowan with PennDot says there are 25,000 vehicles that use Route 8 daily. The plan is for Route 8 northbound at the intersection with Hardies Road to widen to four lanes.
The southbound side, and Hardies Road in both directions will also all get left hand turning lanes.
Hampton Township Municipal Manager Chris Lochner says the roads can't handle the influx of drivers.
He says the township's been in discussions with PennDOT about the Route 8 corridor for the past 15 years since major retailer Wal-Mart moved in.
Lochner says the traffic from that and other major retailers coupled with a 30 percent population growth in a decade pushed the issue to the forefront for PennDOT in Hampton and in Richland Township where turning lanes are also slated to go in at the intersection with Ewalt Road.
Hampton Township also plans on building turning lanes at Duncan Avenue in the spring of 2015.
The current work at Route 8 and Hardies Road will take place at night beginning at 8P p.m. It's slated to be done by the end of October of 2014.
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