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PennDOT has shot down the City of Warren's request that work be stopped on a proposed downtown roundabout.
The Warren City Council sent a letter to PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian last month asking that work on the roundabout at Market St. and Pennsylvania Ave. stop and a traditional traffic signal be installed. The letter outlined, in the council's view, the negative elements of the project.
PennDOT responded in a letter dated March 3 and provided to city staff Friday. It's signed by Melissa Batula, PennDOT's acting executive deputy secretary, and addressed to Mayor Dave Wortman.
The conclusion? "The opportunity to pause and change direction has passed."
"We believe that the intersection improvement project at this location was planned and designed appropriately," Batula wrote.
The response details PennDOT's planning process as well as public involvement efforts that the agency says it takes "very seriously.
That included two public meetings, participation in three council meetings, various stakeholder meetings and a peer review which "concurred that the roundabout would improve the safety and traffic flow at the intersection with no concerns about the number of trucks or the pedestrian traffic."
Council members raised seven specific objections in its petition to PennDOT, which, in turn, responded to each of them.
"We have been in conversations with several businesses adjacent to the intersection throughout the design process and have not heard of any that are considering relocation due to this project," PennDOT explained. "The loss of parking spaces is an impact. However, this issue was not a major concern in earlier discussions…."
The letter argues that maintenance costs for roundabouts are generally less than with signals.
"Many communities take advantage of the opportunity to include landscaping, stone walls, flag poles or public art in the center of roundabouts…. If the City of Warren would prefer a stone or concrete center island and less-expensive light poles to save money on annual maintenance that can still be discussed"
PennDOT's response then details the various statistics that show roundabouts to be a safer option, generally.
"(W)e believe that this project was created through a collaborative planning process as required by federal law and was developed with the appropriate good faith, consideration and transparency," the letter concludes. "Significant effort and funding have been invested over the last five years to arrive at a project that is ready to be constructed and will be a great improvement for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists alike.
"The opportunity to pause and change direction has passed. We truly hope that you, the City Council and the citizens will be satisfied with the project."