Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 15

Huskie girls roll to title Page 17 Hulkster does it again Page 1 8 Who Stands Where Pages 1 9, 20 The Indiana Gazette Monday, March 30, 1 987 Pag 1 5 IUP mat queens crowned 1 6 Pens waddle into sunset. Page 16 Tonight: NCAA Final 2 Page 1 6 Route 22 facelift in PennDOT 2-year plan By Bill GRAFF Gazette Assistant Editor Good highways, or the lack of them, have been the focus of state-wide efforts to update Pennsylvania's deteroriating roads, which at 41,000 miles measures roughly the same length as the entire federal highway system. Public hearings across the state during the past several weeks have unveiled many avenues under the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's 12-year plan. In Indiana County, publicsafety officials continue to urge completion of the Route 422 bypass through Indiana and improvements of Routes 119 and 22. Meanwhile, Cambria County officials want com- pletion of segments of Route 219 and modernization of Route 22, while Westmoreland County leaders are pushing for a link from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Routes 119 and 22 and a modernization of Route 22.

Tom Brado, a design services engineer for PennDOT's District 12 in Uniontown, which coordinates design, engineering, construction and maintenance for projects In Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, said a seven-mile segment of Route 22 between Delmont and Shieldsburg (Salem-ville) west of New Alexandria is currently under design. He cited fewer roadside buildups and reduced land-acquisition costs as reasons. According to Brado, Route 22 from Mon-roeville to Blalrsvilie is a deadly, accident-prone three-lane highway carrying up to 29,000 vehicles a day. Modernization of a 27-mile section of Route 22 from the Allegheny County line to Blairsville is projected to cost $71 million, Brado said. Under design plans, Brado said the seven-mile segment on the drawing boards will become a four-lane divided highway-with a 16-foot-wide median and concrete divider.

Turnoff lanes will be added where necessary, and every effort will be made to retain the roadway within its present east-west corridor, Brado said. "But we want to control access to the roadway." Brado said. "We have consultants studying traffic flow and accident statistics in an attempt to develop plans to help reduce accidents, especially at ble spots where most accidents occur." When construction starts (as part of the 12-year projectionl, "we will maintain two lanes of traffic at all times, using remaining portions of old Route 22 in some areas to maintain traffic flow," Brado said. Also slated for work under the first four years is widening of Route 22 bridges across Loyalhanna Creek in New Alexandria and over Route 6 in Delmont to four lanes. The proposed package would cost $2.3 million plus $300,000 for a safety study.

The second four years includes plans to widen Route 22 from Shieldsburg to Blairsville to four lanes, Brado said. Route 22 was relocated during 1950-53, from a point about two miles west of New Alexandria to about three miles east of Blairsville, and constructed as a three-lane highway. New Alexandria and Blairsville were bypassed, but the highway from the Indiana County line to the Route lit Intersection two miles east of Blairsville was constructed as a four-lane highway, including the bridge across the Conemaugh River in Blairsville and bridge crossing over Route U. A steel median barrier was erected in the late 1960s from the Indiana County line east to the Indiana Avenue intersection, a distance of approximately one mile, to reduce crossover accidents. The number of fatal accidents and toll of injuries and damage resulting from crossover accidents has created the need for various action by PennDOT through the years.

Elimination of a center, or third, lane for passing through repainted solid yellow lines has likely reduced the chances of head-on crashes, but a near-fatal pedestrian accident on Route 22 east of New Alex andria last October involving a 16-year-old Derry Area High School student brought a storm of protest to school transportation officials, PennDOT and state police. PennDOT erected signs warning of school bus stops and reduced the speed limit in some areas. State police started more frequent patrols during hours when school buses were traveling on Route 22 and other roads such as Routes 217, 981 and 982. During a public hearing in Washington, PennDOT officials heard appeals from Derry school officials who. urged PennDOT to reduce the speed limit on Route 22 from New Alexandria to Blairsville from 55 to 45 miles per hour and to eliminate passing in that nine-mile stretch.

Robert W. Critchfield, superintendent of Derry Area schools, told PennDOT officials his district transports 160 students in 13 buses over Route 22 each school day. A group called Concerned Route 22 Parents also urged PennDOT to restrict traffic to two lanes with no passing. Members said the center lane confuses drivers. Indiana County District 10 PennDOT officials said an engineering study is slated for the first four.

years of the IZ-year program spanning Route 22 from the end of the present concrete roadway near Blair-mont Restaurant east of Blairsville to Mundys Corner. According to a spokesman, the engineering study will look at traffic safety and how to make proposals more uniform with other county proposals. This study awaits state Transportation Commission approval. The PennDOT source said plans are also being prepared to resurface four to seven miles of Route 22 from the Blairmont area east to the Route 259 intersection. Also being discussed are guide rail and drainage improvements.

But there has been no indication whether any construction on Route 22 would begin until after 1990 to continue what was started in 1950-53 on the Blairsville bypass or in the 1960s on an Armagh bypass project. Despite appeals by safety officials and citizens, no work is slated on a dangerous S-curve just west of Gas Center or downgrade curves on Penn View Mountain's east and west slopes, scenes of many accidents and traffic tieups through the years. The concrete laid in 1951-53 on Route 22 is starting to crumble, bridge decks are decaying and traffic continues to mount, with projections of up to 17,000 vehicles using the highway daily by 2000. But that is only 13 years away, one year after a 12-year plan, if implemented now, would expire. Prayer program Cycle in chase crashes America at McCreary Tire and Rubber Company.

Alderson was in Indiana all weekend speaking at various events during the "Value of the Person He is a spokesman fn the areas of labor-management relations, productivity improvement and human resource development conceived the concept of the Value of the Person in 1972 when he was made vice president of the Pittron Steel Foundry in Pittsburh and had to bridge the gap between labor and management. Photos were taken by Gazette photographer Tom Camplsano. Wayne T. Alderson, founder and president of the Value of the Person Theory R. Consultants, is shown at left speaking at a prayer program held at the Regency Mall parking lot Sunday afternoon.

Approximately 200 persons attended the event, see photo below, including representatives of government, management and labor. Alderson and the Rev. John Brindger of the Gray-stone Presbyterian Church were the featured speakers. Among those offering prayers were Bill McCurdy, president of Local 947 of the United Rubber Workers of fa if A police chase ended Friday night when a Rossiter man lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. The area accident summary- PUNXSUTAWNEY State police in Punxsutawney were involved in a chase with a motorcycle late Friday night that resulted in a minor injury to the driver when the cycle overturned.

It was reported that state police observed a motorcyclist committing a traffic violation on Route 236 in Bell Township, Jefferson County, at about 10: IS p.m. A chase ensued and the' motorcycle proceeded in Canoe Township, Indiana County, on Route 236, turned onto Lunger Road near Rossiter and then onto a private dirt road where it hit a muddy spot and overturned. The cyclist, identified by police as Richard M. Bennett, 19, of Rossiter, suffered a minor leg injury. A minor passenger was not injured, police reported.

The motorcycle also was damaged lightly in the accident State police said a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Indian Springs and Warren roads west of Indiana at 11:45 a.m. Saturday slightly injured a Falls Church, woman. Police identified -the drivers as Ray Tomer of Allison Park and Richard Johnston of Falls Church, Va. A passenger in the Johnston car, Deann Johnston, was injured and treated as an outpatient at Indiana Hospital, police report Damage to the vehicles was moderate. ARMAGH Bruce Schlosser of Mineral Point RD 1 and Carolyn Sue Silbaugh of Seward apparently escaped injury when their vehicles wrecked on Route 56 about one-half mile east of Armagh at 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, state police said. Damage was light to moderate. RURAL VALLEY State police from Kittanning report that a vehicle driven by John E. Baker of Kit- msm Mfi rTLl Wtill I i value Spring brush fires continue to plague area as follows, with the time, type of call, location and fire departments responding: SATURDAY 11:19 a.m.; brash; Nowrytown; Saltsburg and Tunnelton. 12:18 p.m.; brush; Kaiser Farm, Tunnelton area; Tunnelton, Saltsburg, Loyalhanna Township, New Alexandria.

1p.m.; trash; Murrayhill Road; Seward. 3:18 p.m.; brush; Deckers Point-Nashville Road; Marion Center. 3:29 p.m.; traffic control; Route 22, Penn View Mountain; Black Lick. 5:35 p.m.; grass; Clyde area; Clyde. 6:13.

p.m.; trash; Murrayhill Road; Seward. 6:36 p.m.; brush; Marshall Heights'area; Black Lick. 8:12 p.m.; car; Burnside area; Burnside. 10:40 p.m.; wash down; Philadelphia Street, Indiana; Company Three. SUNDAY 12:47 a.m.; car fire; Route 240 near Uniontown; Cherry Tree.

11:59 traffic accident; Route 119 near Lucernemines; Homer City. 1:04 p.m.; brush; Ernest area; Creekside, Indiana. "1:23 p.m.; brush; Aultman area; Aultman. 1:30 p.m.; brush; Aultman area; Homer City. 2:17 p.m.; brush; Burnside area: Burnside.

2:28 p.m.; standby. Glen Campbell at Burnside. 3 p.m.; grass; Rochester Mills; Marion Center. 3:41 p.m.; brush; Parkwood area; Indiana Company One. 4.01 p.m.; standby, Homer City at Aultman.

4:06 p.m.; brush; Saltsburg area; Saltsburg, Aultman. 4:26 p.m.; rekindle of trailer fire; Mulligan Hill, New Florence area noiivar ana uiyae. 5:27 p.m.; search; Plumville, Marion Center on standby. 5:35 p.m.; brush; Timber Lake area; Cherryhill Township, Clymer, Pine 6:31 p.m.; Homer City to assist Aultman. 6:31 p.m.; standby, Coral-Graceton for Homer City.

6:34 p.m.; brush; near Lucerne-mines; Homer City. 7 p.m.; brush; Avonmore; Avonmore, Saltsburg, Bell Township. 7:30 p.m.; brush, Ernest; Creekside. 10:30 p.m.; brush, Sagamore area; Plumville. tanning HU 1 struck a deer at 2: IS Continued on page 21 PR program spotlights IUP graduates District firemen welcomed today's rain after spending much of the weekend battling brush fires.

At least one fire was the work of an ar- sonist, officials said. The summary. TORRANCE Firemen from Eastern Derry Township and Blairsville averted what could have become a full-blown forest fire Saturday afternoon when they were able to contain a brush fire near Torrance. In all, three acres were burned in a forested area between the new and old stone quarries. Investigators said two separate fires were started by an arsonist around 5:44 p.m.

The state Department of Forestry was notifed of-the findings. NOWRYTOWN A stubborn brush fire along the- Nowrytown-Elders Ridge Road at 3: IS p.m. Sunday blackened a IS acre farm area. See photo on Page 21.) Firemen from Saltsburg, Coal Run, Iselin and Tunnelton responded. SALTSBURG Firemen from Saltsburg and Aultman stopped a brush fire three miles east oi Saltsburg along Route 286 near the Saltsburg American Legion Post at 3:52 p.m.

Sunday. Fifteen acres burned, officials said. Homer City firemen were on standby for Aultman. PUNXSUTAWNEY A general alarm in Punxsutawney late Saturday night turned out to be a false alarm, borough officials said. Volunteers from all three companies responded to the 11 :36 p.m.

call to the J.C. Penney store at the corner of Mahoning and Gilpin streets. A reported electrical fire on the roof of the three story building turned out to be false, officials said. Other weekend alarms involved mostly brush fires. They are listed Cvclops Corp.

in Pittsburgh; Timothy Hayes, 1982, information specialist for Pennsylvania Power Light Co. in Allentown; Judith Gonsowski Radlinsky, 1984, communications specialist for IBM in Owego, N.Y.; Dean Rodenbough, 1982, Binney Smith Inc. in Easton; and Wendy day, April in Gorell Recital Hall in John Sutton Hall, the alumni will participate in a 90-minute panel discussion about the changes and opportunities in corporate PR. The speakers are: Susan Knepper Breon, a 1971 graduate, director of public relations for World, will spotlight five IUP graduates from a variety of companies who will share their experiences with journalism students concentrating in PR. The program is sponsored through the $250,000 Elizabeth Ray Sweeney Trust.

Beginning at 8 p.m. Wednes Public-relations professionals from the corporate world will be at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on April 1 and 2 as the part of the journalism department's Public Relations Semester. The public program. Public Relations in the Corporate Peters Ma so, -inn, marketing communications manager for the Transportation Systems and Support Division of Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Pittsburgh.

These five will also participate in a question-and-answer session with invited PR students at a.m. Thursday, April 2, in Pratt Hall's lounge. "What's so special about our PR Semester," said Craig Swauger, journalism department chairman, "is that au of our speakers are our graduates, men and women now working as successful professionals. They are certainly exceptional role models for our current public-relations students." Because of the gift from Sweeney, the former treasurer of the Indiana Printing and Publishing publisher of The Indiana Gazette, students recently heard from five IUP graduates in health-care PR in the first PR Semester program. Later, five alumni working in agency PR will visit on April 15 and 16.

(IIl STASO HAYES KODENBOUGH BREON KADUNSKY -f I.