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Some may find it peculiar that a young man who is about to battle some of the nation's most congested freeways in and around Washington DC would have the audacity to complain about "traffic" in his hometown that is a fraction of the size, but ever since our family moved here in 1996 we've noticed the quality-of-life in our part of Pittston Township go further and further downhill with each passing year; we're experiencing growing pains to benefit everyone else around us, and nothing is being done to rectify current issues or prepare for upcoming growth.
2009
3/24: W. Pittston man jailed after crash | News | Police | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2009/03/26/news/police/wb_voice.20090326.t.pg3.cv26cdnibleggio_s1.2399079 _loc.txt - broken link)
In this case an inebriated West Pittston man was driving and struck another vehicle along "The 315" in Pittston Township, injuring a toddler in the other vehicle, and then fled to the nearby Wal-Mart where he was apprehended.
In this case an inebriated Hanover Township woman (noticing a theme here about white trash and their love of drunk driving?) struck another vehicle along "The 315" (ironically also near Wal-Mart) and then proceeded to try to run over a passenger in the vehicle who exited as she attempted to write down the defendant's license plate number.
2/11: Plains Township police apprehend wanted man | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/wb_voice.20090212.t.pg7.cv12cdnibfugitive_s1.22979 00_loc.txt - broken link)
In this case police pulled over a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and found the occupant from New York City to be in possession of illegal drugs.
In this case we learn that the already dangerous intersection of The 315 @ Oak/Keystone (near Pollock Chevrolet) will become much more congested when Suscon Road is closed long-term for a bridge replacement. I've already had to blare my horn and flip the bird at numerous people (mostly either distracted by cell phones or elderly) who don't properly know how to use double-turning lanes, as well as those who cut me off by making illegal right-hand-turns-on-red into my path. If Pittston Township has no plans to increase its police force staffing in the near-future (which they don't), then I predict even MORE chaos during the evening rush hours at this intersection in the coming months.
2008
12/15: Three taken to hospital following bus, SUV crash in Laflin | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/12/16/news/wb_voice.20081216.t.pg11.cv16cdbusaccident_s1.2164 325_top4.txt - broken link)
Three youths were injured when a school bus and SUV collided at the intersection of The 315 and Westminster Road. Here is a direct quote from this article:
"Traffic in that area of Route 315, Laflin Road and nearby roads has increased since the construction and opening of the casino Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs."
(This will only be compounded with the thousands more daily vehicles expected to be accessing Pittston Crossings, Center Point, the continued rampant residential growth in the immediate area, etc. Why there are no plans to widen The 315 to six lanes and/or install more traffic lights, speed traps, etc is beyond my realm of comprehension. A traffic cop during the peak of rush hour near Pollock Chevrolet would be a good idea as well).
10/20: <font color=red>Breaking News:</font> Dallas man charged in fatal hit-and-run accident <font color=gray size=-2><i> 2:47 p.m.</i></font> | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/11/04/news/doc4910a6e88a10d211826446.txt - broken link)
In this article an elderly man from Laflin is run down by a hit-and-run driver and is left to die in the roadway.
9/16: Pittston man faces drug charges after traffic stop | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/09/18/news/wb_voice.20080918.t.pg3.cv18cdnibdrugbust_s1.19516 63_loc.txt - broken link)
In this article a Pittston man is apprehended on drug charges after being stopped for traveling backwards on the congested corridor. Judging by the location implied in this article (after missing the turn-off for a local hotel), this happened literally several hundred feet from my home!
9/3: Charges filed against Old Forge man | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/09/05/news/wb_voice.20080905.t.pg3.cv05cdnibvehiclerammed_s1. 1924675_loc.txt - broken link)
In this article an Old Forge man rams a police cruiser at the intersection of The 315 at the Mohegan Sun entrance and was later apprehended on drug charges.
8/8: WOMAN TAKEN TO INTENSIVE CARE AFTER CAR CRASH ON ROUTE 315 | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/08/09/news/wb_voice.20080809.t.pg5.cv09cdnibcrash_s1.1868048_ loc.txt - broken link)
In this article a woman was rushed to a Scranton hospital and placed in intensive care after colliding with a tractor-trailer near the interchange for I-476 in Pittston Township.
7/28: <font color=red>Traffic Alert:</font> Route 315 lane restrictions | News | citizensvoice.com | The Citizens' Voice (http://citizensvoice.com/articles/2008/07/28/news/doc488de39791ed0949071707.txt - broken link)
I can recall this article all too well and can still remember the MASSIVE traffic tie-ups caused by the signal improvement work done at the congested intersection of The 315 @ Oak/Keystone which is ironically LESS SAFE now because of the addition of double-turning lanes, which people in this valley STILL don't know how to use (you stay in the SAME LANE!!!) Traffic southbound often backed up to the Quality Inns Hotel, not far from the entrance to our subdivision.
I'm about ready to hit the sack for the evening, but these are just a few of the many "incidents" along this brief yet busy artery that links Pittston Township and Plains Township and connects to some very pivotal access areas---the airport, casino, I-81, I-476, the mall, Center Point, etc. My complaints about how there don't appear to be any "long-range plans" for what will become of the dangerous intersection of 315 @ Oak/Keystone during rush-hour in a few years when Pittston Crossings and Center Point are both at full build-out have fallen on deaf ears. When this finally DOES become an "issue," then people will say "Why didn't we see this coming?!" Some of us ARE seeing these changes occurring for the worse, and speaking from experience as someone who WAS violently rear-ended here myself in 2006 by an SUV that ran a red light it was NOT an experience I wish to repeat. I've had some close calls since then with distracted/clueless drivers, and so help me God the next time I get struck here I'm suing not only the other driver but also PennDOT, Pittston Township, and any other entity that SHOULD have foreseen traffic issues arising here but sat on their laurels and permitted them to occur!
Here is a woefully-outdated snapshot of PennDOT's traffic flow map from this particular area from the several years ago, before people started working at Center Point, before gamers started scoping out Mohegan Sun, etc.
You can see that 22,000 vehicles per day traveled through the stretch where the Exit 175 Northbound off ramp from I-81 meets Highway 315 Northbound at a blinker light (where I was rear-ended in 2006). You can also see that 12,000 people traveled along the stretch of Oak Street near the Pittston Township Wal-Mart. It is likely that around 35,000 vehicles per day passed through that intersection of Oak/315/Keystone (shown as Quarry Road) several years ago. I'd have to say that a more accurate count today would be around 40,000 vehicles per day. That is FAR too congested for the original intended capacity.
Paul, what are you worried about, you're moving to VA. Don't let this stuff upset you, there's nothing you can do about it. Just focus on your task at hand and keep your eye on improving yourself. I wouldn't spend time wondering about the 315 corridor, when there is some many other things to worry about these days. Just my opinion Paul and good luck in your new job venture, I wish I was moving out of state for employment, there is nothing keeping me here anymore and I think I need a change of scenery.
Paul, what are you worried about, you're moving to VA. Don't let this stuff upset you, there's nothing you can do about it. Just focus on your task at hand and keep your eye on improving yourself. I wouldn't spend time wondering about the 315 corridor, when there is some many other things to worry about these days. Just my opinion Paul and good luck in your new job venture, I wish I was moving out of state for employment, there is nothing keeping me here anymore and I think I need a change of scenery.
I worry about this because my parents' home is located right along this corridor, and the more crime/congestion incidents arise, the more likely their own quality-of-life is to deteriorate. Soon our neighborhood will be bounded on the south and east by a new Wal-Mart Supercenter and over a dozen other chain stores, and on the west by a new phase of Center Point. I worry about what impact this may all have upon their property value, which may very well decline after nearly doubling between 1996 and today. For better or for worse I will also have to commute through this mess, often times at rush hour, until I do relocate. It just really concerns me that our township has no solid long-range planning to handle growth.
I worry about this because my parents' home is located right along this corridor, and the more crime/congestion incidents arise, the more likely their own quality-of-life is to deteriorate. Soon our neighborhood will be bounded on the south and east by a new Wal-Mart Supercenter and over a dozen other chain stores, and on the west by a new phase of Center Point. I worry about what impact this may all have upon their property value, which may very well decline after nearly doubling between 1996 and today. For better or for worse I will also have to commute through this mess, often times at rush hour, until I do relocate. It just really concerns me that our township has no solid long-range planning to handle growth.
I understand your concerns Paul, but there is nothing you can really do about it. Most areas are short sighted and don't care about the public and only care about making a buck. That's the nature of capitalism. I don't know if it will hurt you're neighborhood's property values by the stores coming in. I think that would happen if undesirables started to move in.
Scranbarre --- It will do you a world of good to get away from here, your thinking like a 60 year old. You should be thinking about fun things and career, not traffic patterns and real estate value !!
When
Sorry I submitted prematurely, my laptop has a mind of its own. Back to last post: When I was your age, my last thought was about 'next week' let alone 30 years down the road !!!!
Scranbarre --- It will do you a world of good to get away from here, your thinking like a 60 year old. You should be thinking about fun things and career, not traffic patterns and real estate value !!
When
Quote:
Originally Posted by nkotb
Sorry I submitted prematurely, my laptop has a mind of its own. Back to last post: When I was your age, my last thought was about 'next week' let alone 30 years down the road !!!!
I've always been rather mature for my age. If nobody else is going to sound the alarm about a situation that is becoming progressively worse with each passing year, then what's to stop a 22-year-old from doing it? Obviously the other several thousand residents of my municipality are too obsessed with eating at Applebee's, shopping at Wal-Mart, and driving their Range Rovers to care much.
I've always been rather mature for my age. If nobody else is going to sound the alarm about a situation that is becoming progressively worse with each passing year, then what's to stop a 22-year-old from doing it? Obviously the other several thousand residents of my municipality are too obsessed with eating at Applebee's, shopping at Wal-Mart, and driving their Range Rovers to care much.
But Paul, what is wrong with that? I eat at Applebee's and shop at Wal-Mart, sometimes. I don't drive a Range Rover, but are you going to condemn me for the other things? That's not fair, I'm not doing anything wrong.
A few days of DC-area traffic and you'll see that 315 (and any NEPA road) is Sesame Street in comparison.
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Traffic southbound often backed up to the Quality Inns Hotel, not far from the entrance to our subdivision. 
