Traffic pattern changes sought to accommodate intersection for Harrison office development

A proposed office park development near the Route 28 Tarentum interchange could lead to changes in traffic patterns on Bull Creek Road in Harrison.

Among the proposed changes is a new traffic light at Pleasant Avenue, which would be the entrance to the development, to be called Harrison Point.

R&Z Harrison Properties wants to build up to 400,000 square feet of office space among a maximum of 20 to 25 buildings in a section of Harrison known as Jobe's Hole. The development is near where boundaries for Harrison, Tarentum and Fawn meet.

About 45 acres of a 160-acre parcel would be developed, and the number of buildings would depend on their sizes, ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 square feet. The buildings would be visible from Route 28, project Manager Brian Clark said.

Any construction is at least two years away, Clark said.

“It takes that long to get everything permitted,” he said.

PennDOT is reviewing the developers' proposed traffic changes on Bull Creek Road (Route 366), which is a state road, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said.

The first review of a transportation impact study should be completed by the end of March, Cowan said. The study is reviewed and approved ahead of a permit application.

Most of the changes on Bull Creek Road would happen on the Tarentum-bound side of the road. They are aimed at keeping traffic coming from the Route 28 north exit free-flowing toward Tarentum, while providing left-turn access to the development in a separate lane.

Traffic moving from Route 28 north toward Tarentum would be separated from the other lanes on Bull Creek Road by a concrete median and would not have to stop for the new traffic light, Clark said. Traffic in this through lane would not be able to turn left into the development, but would flow unimpeded toward Tarentum and the Tarentum Bridge to New Kensington.

Instead of taking the curving off-ramp toward Tarentum, traffic exiting Route 28 north wanting to go to the development would proceed straight to Bull Creek Road and turn right at a stop sign, Clark said. The straight exit ramp would be widened to two lanes, and signs would direct traffic.

At Pleasant Avenue, the median would be altered to create a left turn lane.

On the side of the road heading toward Route 28 from Tarentum, the northbound Route 28 on-ramp would be extended toward Pleasant Avenue, Clark said.

Clark and Ron Zampogna Jr., the principal in R&Z Harrison Properties, recently presented their traffic plan proposal to Fawn supervisors. Although the development is in Harrison, Clark said PennDOT officials wanted them to discuss their plans with Fawn supervisors because of its proximity to Fawn.

Supervisors found nothing objectionable about the plans, but there was discussion about left turns from the Route 28 north exit to Bull Creek Road for traffic heading into Fawn.

Fawn supervisors Chairman Dave Montanari said the intersection of the straight exit ramp and Bull Creek Road has been troublesome over the years, because Fawn-bound drivers seeking to turn left have to cross two lanes and cannot always get a good view of traffic traveling toward them.

“That's been the site of a lot of traffic accidents,” Montanari said.

Clark said the developers suggested putting a traffic light at that exit ramp intersection, but PennDOT officials thought that wouldn't be safe because drivers coming from Fawn would not be able to see the traffic signal because it would be blocked by the Route 28 overpass.

Clark said the new traffic light at Pleasant Avenue should create gaps in traffic on Bull Creek Road heading toward Fawn, making it easier for traffic on the exit ramp to make those left turns.

Freelance writer Tom Yerace contributed to this report. Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4701 or at brittmeyer@tribweb.com.