BUCKS COUNTY PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROJECT DELAYED 8 MONTHS

There are some roads that are simply more dangerous than others. Maybe it is a sharp curve, busy traffic during rush hour, a high volume of pedestrians, potholes, poor lighting or a combination of a few factors that decrease the safety level for those that travel on the road.

In lower Bucks County, Route 13 is one of these dangerous roadways. It may even be considered one of the most dangerous in all of Pennsylvania for pedestrians, with a high number of fatalities. Twelve auto-pedestrian fatalities have been reported on Route 13 over the past decade and a half.

PennDOT even conceded in 2003 that it was one of the most fatal stretches of road for pedestrians to attempt to cross.

This roadway was recently targeted to receive some safety improvements. These improvements include a reduction in the posted speed limits, decreasing the number of lanes and adding medians.

While some of these improvements require only a decision and a little effort from road workers, like changing out the speed limit signs, others certainly require a little more time, like changing the number of lanes. The construction project is already underway, but there have been a few unforeseen circumstances that have caused the end date to be pushed back to July 2016.

Specifically, the company contracted to complete the construction found some utility lines in the ground that had not been previously marked, and thus not included in the plans. The total delay for the project is estimated at eight months past the originally scheduled completion date.

Determining which roads pose the greatest danger to the entire pedestrian population and targeting them for safety improvements is beneficial. However, drivers that negligently cause harm to another are liable for the damages they caused, whether they were driving on a dangerous road or not.

Source: philly.com, “Road work on Route 13 in Lower Bucks County to last months longer,” March 3, 2014