A temporary fix at the Route 356 and 56 split in Allegheny Township will come early next week, officials say, but a permanent traffic light won’t be installed until this summer.
The township plans to install a temporary, tethered light at the split on Monday, said Allegheny Township Supervisors Chairman Jamie Morabito. Work is expected to start at 8 a.m. Monday and be completed by the end of the day.
A Dec. 20 wreck took out the stoplight at the intersection. Stop signs have been in its place to control traffic since then.
“Everything will be status quo,” Morabito said of the temporary light. “Nothing is going to change. Aesthetically, it will be different; functionwise, it will be exactly what it was.”
But a solution for a permanent pole and lights won’t come until this summer.
“You have three manufacturers that are making these poles under PennDOT standards,” Morabito said. “They’re made to order. We’re six months out, minimum, on getting those new poles once they are ordered.”
At most, the full repair could take eight months, Morabito said.
In Pennsylvania, municipalities own and maintain their traffic signals, according to PennDOT.
Morabito said he plans to meet with an insurance adjuster at the site to go over the proposal. Repairs will initially come out of the township’s pocket but later be reimbursed through the insurance, Morabito said.