Henderson Avenue should open to traffic by Thanksgiving
Residents of Cortez Drive and other streets in Canton Township’s Wolfdale neighborhood will have something more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Traffic on their streets could return to normal, instead of the avenues being used by countless drivers as detour routes to get between Routes 844 (Jefferson Avenue) and 18 (Henderson Avenue) while a portion of Henderson was closed for removal of a bridge.
Henderson was closed to through traffic between Oak Grove Road/North Hewitt Avenue and Jefferson in early September so the bridge that carried the road across a former rail line could be removed. Backfill is being placed in the void and a road built over it.
When the road actually reopens will depend on the weather in the coming few weeks, said Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation. The road is not expected to reopen by Nov. 14, the original date targeted by PennDOT.
“Hopefully, it will reopen by Thanksgiving,” Faieta said. “I wanted to try paving starting this week, but it will depend on the weather.”
For residents, the opening of Henderson can’t come too soon. Almost constant complaints from residents prompted township officials to have “No Thru Traffic” signs specially made and placed on both ends of Cortez. But the signs haven’t discouraged drivers from using the street as a shortcut.
Supervisor Bob Franks and fellow board members Jack Sheppard and Sam Bear have all fielded complaints from residents.
“I don’t blame them for complaining,” Franks said. “Jack, Sam and I have done pretty much everything we could do. We even thought about getting portable rumble strips, but that was too costly. And it would probably just shift people to the next street over.
“Streets are open to the public,” he added. “Drivers are going to take the shortest route to get where they are going.”
Franks said he recently got a call from a resident who reported a tri-axle truck traveling on the street, the driver not only ignoring the new sign but signs banning large trucks except for local traffic, and a 10-ton weight limit sign that had been in place for several years.
Franks commended the efforts of the volunteer fire department last week to keep young trick-or-treaters safe.
“They did a good job,” Franks said. “They put up flares and watched the traffic.”
While the signs are an effort to discourage drivers taking Cortez, Franks admits there is nothing they can do to stop drivers from cutting through.
PennDOT also placed a portable sign that reminds drivers the speed limit is 25 mph and shows them how fast they are going as they travel on Cortez.
State police Sgt. Christopher Hugar said the traffic issue on Cortez, along with concerns about overweight trucks crossing a single-lane bridge on North Hewitt over Chartiers Creek, are regularly brought up at roll call.
“We know of the complaints,” Hugar said. “We have been monitoring the area.”