Growing up in Rochester, N.Y., Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Allen Biehler knew nearby U.S. Route 104 as a two-lane road. "When I left there, though, it was five lanes, and that sounds a lot like what (U.S.) Route 30 might be over time," Biehler said Friday at the Westmoreland County Route 30 Task Force Summit in Unity Township. "In some ways it was good, I suppose, because (U.S. Route 104) handled more traffic and there was a need for that." But based on how such roadway expansion projects are planned, Biehler said, they can also take a hefty toll on the surrounding locale. "I have to tell you, the character of that residential area changed a lot. What before were long, big front yards got skinnier, skinnier and skinnier," Biehler said. " The point is there's a cause and effect, and it's important for people to think about what their vision is for their community." Such was the primary goal of the summit, sponsored by Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, for Biehler and roughly 150 other county politicians, business and community leaders with a stake in the Route 30 corridor who gathered at Giannilli's II restaurant. "Today, you've accepted the invitation to take part in a very important initiative for the economic health of Westmoreland County's future," said Alex Graziani, executive director of Smart Growth, a nonprofit outreach group dealing with economic growth and revitalization. In all, six speakers told attendees of the correlation between transportation and land use to produce sound economic development. They then solicited audience input as to the desired outcomes of the master plan for the pending Route 30 corridor improvement project. "The mission for the master plan is to develop a strategic blueprint for Westmoreland County, which will enhance and improve the safety, mobility and efficiency of Route 30 through sound land use and transportation planning," Graziani said. Graziani credited state Sen. Bob Regola, R-Hempfield Township, with being instrumental in Smart Growth recently securing a $200,000 Community Revitalization Grant for project design costs from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. "Together, we can collectively look at the assets and the detriments of this highway, and we can work toward developing a regional consensus on desired land uses and transportation improvement in the corridor, while establishing community and economic development priorities that will drive future growth," Regola said. "There's so many key players here today, and if we all stick together, if we're all on the same team, we can move this project." Unity Township Supervisor Mike O'Barto spoke of community expansion that does not involve sacrificing the values of residents and virtues of the area. "Myself and my colleagues, supervisors Jake Blank and Tim Quinn, want to bring a local flavor to this project," O'Barto said. "Growth without sacrificing aesthetics and values is what we want and what our residents want." Joseph Szczur, PennDOT District 12-0 executive, said it's important for corridor municipalities to maintain an informative dialogue with the department as a means of better project strategy development. "We may not agree all the time, but if we are made aware of the issues, we'll be sure to do our darndest to apply suggestions we receive," Szczur said. Prue Larson of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the regional planning agency serving the 10-county Pittsburgh area, said good project decisions must be made in a timely, affordable manner. Larry J. Larese, executive director of the Westmoreland County planning department, said citizen involvement is vital to the project study, which will ultimately cost approximately $500,000. After the speeches, attendees took part in discussion sessions during which suggestions for the Route 30 Master Plan were recorded for use in further plan development. On Monday, Smart Growth will mail letters to 13 area municipalities along the corridor asking leaders in each to consider nominating one to two people to participate in a Route 30 Task Force Steering Committee for the remainder of the three-phase project. "The steering committee will shape the work plan, seek out more funding support, and select a consultant to further develop an effective long-range plan," Graziani said. In March, bid letting will begin for the first project phase, in which Route 30 will be widened between St. Vincent Drive and the routes 30/981 intersection, and median barriers or mountable curbs will be built to divide Route 30 traffic, said Jerry Bendo, PennDOT District 12 project manager. Other improvements will include limiting left turns to signalized intersections, replacing the existing traffic signals with a coordinated traffic signal system, and adding a new center turning lane at St. Vincent Drive. The routes 30/981 intersection will also be channelized to better direct traffic at that location. Construction is tentatively set to begin in early June, Bendo said. Cost estimates for phase one of the project have yet to be determined. "PennDOT is still in the process of acquiring right of ways for some of the properties along the roadway, so anything's possible as far as that goes," Bendo said.

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