Honesdale council considers public meeting on Ridge Street stop sign, other options
Once the new Honesdale Borough Council administration is in place in January, action may be taken to arrange a public meeting for the hill-section neighborhood concerning the dangerous intersection at Ridge Street and Vine Street. A stop sign, as well as other options for public safety, will be discussed.
The matter was brought before council in June 2023 by Ridge Street resident Joe Mele, concerned about the blind corner where anyone heading down the hill (northbound) on Ridge cannot see what's coming off of Vine, and likewise anyone coming westbound up Vine must stop at a stop sign but cannot easily see if it is safe when they pull out onto Ridge.
Ridge Street has a lot of school traffic; the street leads to the high school and elementary schools. Mele said there are many school buses on the road. He also noted the excessive speed of some drivers.
Mele came back exasperated at the Nov. 27 council session, over what he viewed as a lack of progress and no one getting back to him. Council President Michael Augello said that the wrong Ridge Street intersection had been investigated by the borough, which council had only recently realized. He stressed that if they do seek a stop sign, they must work through PennDOT, which would have to do engineering studies. He cautioned that the process involving the state agency can take months.
More: Honesdale resident still waiting for stop sign on Ridge Street, concerned with safety
Augello said the trouble with this intersection is that Ridge Street narrows just before it is met by Vine Street, and there is a house right at that intersection with a corner hedge helping to block the line of sight.
Borough Secretary Judy Poltanis said that PennDOT has provided the borough with a lot of information. She and Joseph Rulis, the Department of Public Works director, were meeting with PennDOT the next day.
Councilor Jason Newbon said that one of the recommendations from PennDOT was to have a public meeting to get input from other residents of the area. Poltanis advised having the incoming council make the arrangements once the PennDOT materials are gathered.
She said they did not want to spend money with the current council at this stage if the new council decides to take a different direction. Augello and Eric Cooley are coming off council, having decided not to seek new terms, and will be succeeded by newly elected members Noelle Mundy and James Brennan in January.
Poltanis related that PennDOT would require surveying of the intersection to measure sight distances and examine alternatives to a stop sign.
Alternatives include instituting one-way traffic, making it a multiple-stop intersection or installing mirrors.
"We just wanted to make sure we are discussing it, doing our due diligence. I think that's important for the public to know," Augello said. "There is a lot of thought process that goes into this. It is not just sticking a stop sign up."
Augello added, "The only way to make this safe is to tear down at least one or two houses. The narrowness of that road, the wall that is there next to that house, going up into that road is extremely difficult. And the only way to make that safer, I am not kidding, would be to tear down that one house, which I am not suggesting. But to make that safe and useable, you would have to widen the road in that section. You have to take down that building and make the turn going to the right or to the left wide enough with enough curvature that is safe."
Solicitor Richard Henry said that Vine Street could be made one-way, eastbound, down the hill away from Ridge.
Councilor James Hamill asked if in the interim, the borough could put up a mirror to allow drivers to see what is coming, if it is not regulated by PennDOT. "I think it is potentially great if we can look towards a remedy that involves a stop sign or other safety enhancement, but if the borough can act quickly that something is up in short order, that would be a pretty impressive thing," he said.
Augello replied that from personal experience, mirrors at intersections are prone to vandalism. Poltanis said it would be on someone's property within the right-of-way, up the hill from the intersection so drivers can see what is coming down.
Also discussed:
A $16,200 quote was accepted from JHA Associates to survey Castle Street; the work is required to obtain easements to do an emergency repair of several sections of the embankment.
A lone bid of $71,705 was approved to repair the borough salt shed at Industrial Point, where there is a deteriorated truss.
The parking enforcement officer position was changed from part-time to full-time, with benefits.
Contract negotiations have been underway with the most recent candidate for borough manager. The candidate, however, had declined the offer of employment. The position was under discussion for several years, and in 2023 the council worked with a firm to find viable candidates.
Borough Secretary Judy Poltanis was honored for 35 years of employment, with a plaque presented by Mayor Derek Williams.
For more information about Honesdale Borough and upcoming meetings, visit honesdaleborough.com or call 570-253-0731.
Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale council mulls public meeting on Ridge Street stop sign
