The state awarded a $1.9 million grant on Monday for redesigning Route 381 through Ohiopyle Borough and Ohiopyle State Park to slow traffic and make it safer for bicyclists and walkers to get around.
The project, which is expected to begin next spring, will involve improving crosswalks, creating bike lanes and other work to make Route 381 safer and more welcoming for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Funding for the project comes from a pot of $59.2 million that PennDOT designated for 50 Smart Transportation projects in the state.
We are encouraged to see a portion of that money flowing into Fayette. And we can't think of a more worthy place for the funds than Ohiopyle, which is a crown jewel of the county's tourism attractions and the state park system as a whole.
And more than just receiving the funds, how they were acquired is a cause for celebration: local and state officials working together in harmony. Getting the funds was the result of "a comprehensive effort on behalf of the community," according to Fayette County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Andrew French.
The redevelopment authority applied for the Smart Transportation grant from the Department of Transportation and has several partners in the project, which part of a larger program called the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative (CLI).
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which runs the park, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), Ohiopyle Borough, PennDOT and the state Department of Community and Economic Development are the partners, said French.
The project has become a high priority because Ohiopyle State Park is currently designing a new visitors center near the falls and because the bike trail has greatly increased the number of visitors bringing bikes into the community, PEC President Donald S. Welsh said.
We commend the state for recognizing the importance of increased safety at Ohiopyle, especially as the number of visitors - and biking visitors - increases. Plans include northern and southern gateways, pedestrian crosswalks and other traffic-calming techniques, bike lanes, direct access from the bike-trail bridge to the falls area, improved signage and intersection improvements, especially where Sugarloaf Road meets the new visitors center, according to the PEC.
With a start date expected to come after the tourism season is over, construction won't likely disrupt the park's 1.5 million yearly visitors when they go kayaking or hiking this summer or fall. There will be some headaches and inconveniences during construction, but this is a positive step for Ohiopyle and the county as a whole.
We are pleased to see so much cooperation between local and state officials. This is the kind of success we can have when everyone works together. There may be no "I" in "team," but there is one in "Ohiopyle."