The four-way stop at the intersection of Liberty Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Warren may be with us for a while longer.
City Council discussed not installing a traffic signal at the intersection during last Monday night's budget special meeting.
When discussing possible reductions, City Manager Nancy Freenock raised the possibility of not replacing the stop signs with a traffic signal.
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Penn/Liberty light might not return
"We don't need the Liberty light this year," Councilman John Lewis said. "It's my contention that we don't. We took over the street, it's not required."
If the light isn't going to be replaced, Councilman Sam Harvey argued that something must be done.
"We need better cross walks," he said. "Someone is going to get (hit)."
Department of Public Works Director Mike Holtz said the permit for the project is still in place. "PennDOT expects a light to be there," he said, noting that it would not be safe to say that the traffic signal can't go back in. "The light was purchased last year. It just needs installed."
"If we put that light back in, is there some additional ramp work that has to be done?" council vice president Maurice Cashman asked.
"There's no work ramp that has to be done," Holtz said. "The single, biggest expense is one of the poles" near the Northwest Savings Bank building that would need to be installed in a heated sidewalk. Holtz said the cost of just that portion of the project would be approximately $80,000.
Council took no formal action on the status of the project.
The traffic signal was originally moved as part of the downtown Streetscape project. Officials at the time said the light would eventually be re-installed.