Aug 26, 2002 By Steve Ostrosky 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Drivers frustrated with the bottleneck at the Morrisville Corridor will get another chance to make their voices heard at a public meeting Thursday to outline the alternatives to alleviate the growing traffic problem. The meeting, to begin at 5 p.m. at the Greene County Fairgrounds’ 4-H Building, will feature plans for the three major alignments for the Route 19/21 corridor, with variations.

People will have a chance to make comments on which alignment they prefer before one is chosen for the project, according to Ann Bargerstock, Greene County director of planning and development.

Trans Associates Inc. developed the three alignments, each with its own distinct positives and negatives.

The first alternative calls for the widening the existing corridor of Routes 19/21 to two lanes traveling in each direction, while the Howie Street and Wade Street alignments would call for using the current two lanes for travel into the borough, but outbound traffic would use either Howie or Wade streets.

Several modifications to the three alignments were made in response to changes in traffic counts, caused by the installation of a new traffic light and the construction of a Sheetz convenience store and Burger King fast food restaurant in the area.

Those changes had not been factored in when the needs study on the corridor was done eight years ago, and the higher numbers will affect the scope of the project, Bargerstock said.

All of the alternatives are on display in the first floor of the Greene County Office Building, near the controller’s office, and Bargerstock asked people to give the plans a look before the meeting to give some serious thought to which alternative they would like to see be chosen.

Especially important to the process are those business and property owners who likely would be affected by any or all of the proposed alignments, she said.

“Some people are going to have to make some hard decisions in relation to where this may end up,” she said. “Acquisitions will have to be made and relocations are going to have to happen.”

While that part of the process is still some time away, Bargerstock said arriving at a consensus is the focus of the meeting Thursday, and the session will be one of the last opportunities for public participation before a selection is made.

Most of the stakeholders within a task force established for Morrisville have always felt that the best alignment was the northern one, which would widen the existing road and not affect Wade or Howie streets.

Once an alignment has been chosen, a series of environmental and historical reviews will be conducted before any design work can begin, Bargerstock said. Funding has been allocated for feasibility studies and design, but no state funds have yet been committed for the construction phase, which Bargerstock said is still years down the road.

For now, the meeting this week will mark the next step in what has turned out to be a process much longer than many had anticipated.

“I encourage people with an interest in this project to take a look at the alternatives and let us know how they feel,” she said.