Route 65 Light Signals Getting Synchronized

Motorists traveling through the area on Route 65 will soon have a smoother commute thanks to light signal upgrades.

Jim Struzzi, PennDOT spokesman, said Route 65 is one of the corridors the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission studied and developed for a project currently underway to coordinate signal-timing plans. 

The $74,000 project, known as the "State Route 65 Signals in Coordination," involves covers the study and retiming process. The project is being federally funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to retime the signals.

Nineteen intersections along the Route 65 corridor are involved in the project between the McKees Rocks Bridge to Cross Street in .

Struzzi said the goal is to improve traffic flow and keep motorists moving through the corridor, minimizing the need to stop from signal to signal at each intersection.

“The purpose of the project is to reduce delay, reduce vehicular stops, and reduce harmful emissions,” Struzzi said. “…The project also continues PennDOT’s overall efforts to improve the Route 65 Ohio River Valley corridor.”

PennDOT is working in conjunction with the commission and the local municipalities to implement the timing plans in the field.

Struzzi said field implementation of the improved signal plans started this week. Workers were in  on Tuesday and in Leetsdale on Wednesday.

Some timing irregularities may occur as the work progresses, Struzzi said.

And there have been some quirks so far. Kevin Flannery said he waited for about 14 minutes on Walnut Street to turn right onto 65.

“We’re monitoring this because we have four major intersections that play into this,” Flannery said.

Time adjustments are still in the process of being made at that particular intersection, said Domenic D’Andrea, SPC’s coordinator for the regional traffic signal projects.

“We made our initial implementation of new timings in this area Monday and are in the process of monitoring traffic and fine tuning those timings based on observed traffic and feedback,” D’Andrea said.

This project is one of 23 projects in the commission's first cycle of this program. Work is expected to be complete by April.

For more information on the project, visit the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission website.

Motorists who experience timing issues are asked to contact D’Andrea at 412-391-5590 ext. 341.