HERMITAGE, PA. Banked road throws curve at businesses

Parking lots are now several feet lower from the road's edge.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Businesses along a section of the Pa. Route 18 widening project knew there would be changes in the road elevation in front of their buildings, but the result is worse than they anticipated.
"They didn't tell us they were going to elevate it that high," said Sue Willaman, office manager for Parkside Orthopedic Associates at 1599 N. Hermitage Road (Route 18). She said the high side of the roadway in front of her building is at least 4 feet above the level of the parking lot.
The lot was level with the old roadway, she said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is spending just over $13.2 million to widen a 2.3-mile stretch of Route 18 from two to five lanes between East State Street on the south and a four-lane section of roadway on the north.
The area from just north of the Lamor Road intersection to just south of the Dutch Lane intersection, the 1500, 1600 and 1700 blocks of North Hermitage Road, is on a curve, and the 62-foot-wide, five-lane road surface is being banked through that turn.
The high side
The businesses on the west side of the roadway are on the high side of the turn, and the edge of the roadway rises well above most of their parking lots.
"They're banking it like a race track," said Joseph D'Onofrio, co-owner of D'Onofrio Food Center at 1749 N. Hermitage Road. "We just can't understand it."
His lot was already sloped away from the road, but its upper edge was level with the edge of the original roadway.
"It's banked like you're at the Indy 500," agreed Charles Knott, owner of Knott's Interiors at 1505 N. Hermitage Road.
The banking seems unnecessary for a section of roadway that has two traffic lights in a 100-yard stretch and will be limited to a maximum speed of only 35 or 40 mph, he said.
His parking lot was nearly level with the old road surface, but he says it's more than 5 feet below the upper edge of the new surface.
Traffic moving north on Hermitage Road won't even be able to see his building, he said.
It's going to be tough for the tractor-trailers that haul in furniture to get in and out of his lot, Knott said, noting he now has two steep ramps coming off the roadway into his property.
The Rental Corral at 1525 N. Hermitage Road was always the lowest property in that area, sitting about 5 feet below the level of the old roadway.
Now, it's at least 10 feet lower than the new one, said Manager Rick Baron, and will be serviced by a pair of steep ramps.
Safety concerns
"The worst part's going to be when winter hits," Baron said, explaining that vehicles may have a tough time getting safely up the ramps and onto the roadway if it's snowing or icy.
"It's such an incline, you can't see if you're driving onto a road or over a cliff," he said, adding that the problem exists both for traffic coming off Hermitage Road and traffic exiting the lot.
"We knew we were going to be in trouble," he said, adding that it's worse than expected.
The Rental Corral may have an option, Baron said, noting that it has property access from the rear of its building north to Dutch Lane about 100 yards away and could put in a secondary access route that avoids Hermitage Road.
"This stuff has to be addressed," Knott said. They [PennDOT] know where the problems are. I think they'll address them."
Just what accommodations can be made to help aren't clear.
Awareness effort
The roadway elevations were in the original plans presented to the public before the project began, said Rick Supel, PennDOT project manager for the job.
"I think everyone was aware of the elevation change," he said, adding that most of the roadway construction in that area is done and the elevations can't be changed.
Supel said the finished project isn't going to look as steep as it does right now.
"I think it looks worse than it is. It looks steep now because we're tying into the old pavement," he said, adding that the overall look will improve when all of the paving is done.
All paving must be completed by the end of September, Supel said.
"We superelevate," or bank, "the curves similar to a race track," he said.
At the steepest point of the curve, the east edge of the roadway is 3 feet lower than the western edge, he said, adding that is standard for the radius of that curve and the speed limit on the roadway.