Traffic Light

he traffic light turns green. In the nanosecond before you have a chance to take your foot off the brake and move it to the gas pedal, the guy in the car behind you is leaning on the horn, leaning on the horn, leaning on the horn, leaning on the horn. [cont. from lifestyle ] You were having a good day. Now you're yelling at this jerk. You're crabby. The honker is crabby. Everybody's crabby. Why? "People are more disconnected from each other," is one reason cited by Jim Cannon, coordinator of business and industry training programs at Hagerstown Community College.

A two-vehicle accident at the intersection of South Potomac Street and Oak Ridge Drive has disabled the traffic signal near Sheetz and left emergency crews in the dark, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said Monday night. The incident was reported at 8:06 p.m. and there were no injuries, the dispatcher said, but the collision took out the traffic signal control box next to the road, knocking out the signal. With a vehicle resting on the electrical connections, power had to be shut off to the signal box before crews could come in and repair the signal, the dispatcher said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Installation of a Martinsburg, W.Va., traffic signal will soon be under way following award of an $83,996 contract by the Division of Highways, according to Gov. Cecil H. Underwood. Valentine Electric, Heating and Air Inc. of Hagerstown was awarded the contract, which calls for a signal on W.Va. 45 on the bypass between Interstate 81 and U.S. 11 to serve an existing Sheetz store and a Lowe's now under construction. The signal, to be funded by Sheetz, will be added to the computerized signal ssytem serving the area from I-81 to the Queen Street interchange.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - A new traffic signal has been placed in service at the intersection of Mason Dixon Road (Pa. 163), Citicorp Drive and the Interstate 81 interchange west of State Line, Pa. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be installing message sign boards to alert motorists that the fully signalized traffic lights are in operation, according to a news release. Drivers are asked to use caution when proceeding through the intersection.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Grant money will be sought to install a traffic light at the intersection of Pa. 16 and Northeast Avenue in Waynesboro, municipal officials said Monday. In early 2008, dozens of residents spoke strongly in favor of a new traffic light, while also criticizing a proposal that would have made Northeast Avenue a one-way road. Their comments supporting a traffic light serve as the basis of a cooperative effort by the Borough of Waynesboro and Washington Township to seek money for its installation.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer Despite pleas from parents, school officials and politicians to install a traffic light at South Potomac Street and the entrance to South Hagerstown High School, state highway officials have decided to take a less expensive route to ease congestion and safety problems at the intersection. The decision was based on the findings of a recent study of the problem area, which showed a signal isn't warranted, said Kyle Liang, a traffic engineer in the Maryland State Highway Administration's Hagerstown office.

tammyb@herald-mail.com The State Highway Administration is studying whether more traffic controls are needed at the site of a crash that killed a Hagerstown man earlier this month. James Edward Wilcox, 32, was killed Feb. 1 when his van hit a tractor trailer pulling out of the Pilot Travel Center on Md. 63 near the I-70 interchange. The driver of the truck did not stop; police are still searching for the truck and the driver. Since the accident, the Highway Administration has received a number of complaints about truck traffic coming out of the travel center, said Nancy Jones, a transportation engineer for the agency's Washington County office.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com MERCERSBURG, Pa. - "The Point," where Pa. 16 and Pa. 75 meet with Fry Street and Johnston Lane in Mercersburg's west end, is not so much dangerous as it is a major inconvenience from traffic backups, the borough's manager said this week. Artie Speicher said work is under way on a $449,000 traffic control system that will direct traffic smoothly through the busy five-way intersection - currently one of the area's biggest bottlenecks at peak traffic times.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A long-debated traffic light proposed at the intersection of Pa. 16 and Northeast Avenue caused friction between the Waynesboro Borough Council and Washington Township Supervisors on Wednesday. Northeast Avenue, across from the Kmart shopping center, serves as the boundary between the Borough of Waynesboro and Washington Township. At its Wednesday meeting, the Waynesboro Borough Council agreed on a 5-1 vote to ask the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for an updated traffic study.

The third annual rain barrel workshop will be Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor School at Fairview. More than 100 families have participated in past workshops. The workshop provides individuals and families an opportunity to complete the simple assembly of a rain barrel kit and learn more about conservation and water recycling. Admission is free; the cost of each rain barrel kit is $40. Registration is requested so sufficient materials will be available for everyone wanting to assemble a rain barrel.

The annual Maple Sugar Festival at Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor School at Fairview will be Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature maple-sugaring demonstrations, a bluegrass band and children's activities. There is no charge for admission and activities. A pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. will be served in the dining hall, sponsored by the Clear Spring Elementary School Green Club. Tickets for the breakfast are available for purchase by calling Clear Spring Elementary School at 301-766-8074.

A two-vehicle accident at the intersection of South Potomac Street and Oak Ridge Drive has disabled the traffic signal near Sheetz and left emergency crews in the dark, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said Monday night. The incident was reported at 8:06 p.m. and there were no injuries, the dispatcher said, but the collision took out the traffic signal control box next to the road, knocking out the signal. With a vehicle resting on the electrical connections, power had to be shut off to the signal box before crews could come in and repair the signal, the dispatcher said.

The annual Fairview Fishing Rodeo at Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor School at Fairview will be Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. All students and their families are welcome. Prizes will be awarded to students grouped in the following categories: prekindergarten through grade five, grades six to eight, and grades nine to 12. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded in each age group for longest trout caught, and in the additional categories of longest fish of any species, shortest fish of any species and most fish caught of any species.

Congestion along the busy U.S. 340 corridor near the Potomac River is not a new issue to local residents or transportation officials from Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. Searching for answers to traffic backups that can reach almost two miles long during rush hours, about 30 people attended a meeting Friday night at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Knoxville, Md., to air their complaints. Officials from the Md. State Highway Administration were joined by West Virginia and Virginia Department of Transportation representatives to talk about the issues that motorists are facing, offer some short-term solutions and seek input.

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., is expected to announce $500,000 in federal funding related to Volvo Construction Equipment at an event Tuesday. Shuster, state Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, local elected officials and Volvo representatives will be discussing improvements at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Rowe Road. The planned expansion of Volvo Construction Equipment's facility in Shippensburg is part of an estimated $100 million investment that will create direct and indirect jobs in the region, according to a news release.

“As an independent, I don't know - I have no dogs in this fight coming up in November, but when I see the knuckleheads that are in the Republican Party, there isn't a single one I'd vote for, so I guess I'm voting for President Obama. I mean, you got one who never tells the truth. He flip-flops more than the flip-flops I wear. You got another one who is sadistic, you got another one who can't remember what day it is. He's so far to the right, he'd only take care of Christians. Anybody that's not, heck with them.

At noon today, motorists will notice a new traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Swamp Fox Road (Pa. 914). Greg Cook, chairman of the Guilford Township Supervisors, said initially that the light will flash amber to slow traffic. But, on Wednesday, the signal will begin to operate normally. With Waste Management's planned expansion of its landfill near Upton, Pa., Waste Management spokeswoman Cheryl Shields said the signal provides a safer route for trucks hauling waste from Interstate 81 north to the landfill.

Although Black Friday is considered the busiest shopping day of the year, foot traffic was light to moderate at many of the shops in downtown Hagerstown. Jenni Jones, co-manager of Potomac Bead Co. on West Washington Street, said eight customers had visited the shop by noon Friday, two hours after it opened at 10 a.m. That number of customers might seem low, but it was a big improvement over previous Black Fridays, Jones said. "We've had a pretty nice flow - not real busy, though" Jones said.

Three people were taken to the hospital Monday afternoon after a car and a pickup truck collided at the intersection of Robinwood Drive and Academic Boulevard in front of Hagerstown Community College, according to Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Bragunier. Bragunier said the Ford pickup truck traveling northbound on Robinwood Drive was attempting to make a left turn onto Academic Boulevard leading to HCC and the car, a Buick, was heading southbound when the accident occurred at a traffic light.