Mar 12, 2015 2 min read

What with all the construction going on at the Murtland Avenue interchange of Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township, and the traffic issues that will result from it over the next couple of years, we are reluctant to suggest yet more major interchange projects for the state Department of Transportation to take on just now. But really, improvements are badly needed at the Houston interchange of I-79.

The exit ramps lead to Route 519, where traffic always moves fast and can be heavy at times. There are no traffic signals at the ends of the ramps, just stop signs. At busy times, traffic builds up on the ramps as drivers wait for the opportunity to dart onto Route 519 between speeding vehicles.

The situation is much more dangerous at night because there is no street lighting. The entrance ramps are difficult to see in the dark. Some drivers coming from Houston miss the entrance to I-79 South, turning too soon and ending up in the park-and-ride lot. A few have overshot the entrance in the dark and ended up on the exit ramp, a highly dangerous situation that resulted in at least one fatal accident in recent memory.

We will go as far as to say the situation at the Houston interchange is even more dangerous than the one a few miles north at the northbound exit ramp at Canonsburg.

Reconstruction of the Houston interchange will cost many millions of dollars and at today’s rate of construction, take years to complete. In the meantime, PennDOT should study whether traffic signals would improve traffic flow and safety. That the interchange should be lit at night is a no-brainer. That should be done immediately.