Open house shows possible changes along Route 72, Cornwall Road corridor

A possible roundabout on state Route 72 at Zinns Mill Road, grass buffers and sidewalks along stretches of both roads, and crosswalks at Hauck Street and Cornwall Road are among the possible improvements generated by a study of the Route 72/Cornwall Road corridor.

“We’re getting positive feedback on our proposed improvements along both roads to address safety concerns and congestion,” said Will Cowan, a traffic engineer with WSP, which conducted the study.

Visuals of those possible improvements were on display at an open house Thursday at the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services building on Cornwall Road.

PennDOT provided $300,000 in funding for the special study that will be used to identify and guide recommendations for corridor improvements.

The Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) partnered with WSP to investigate options for the busy corridors between Oak Street in Lebanon city and state Route 419 in Cornwall Borough. Residential and commercial development has occurred along both roadways, creating challenges for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Meetings with municipal officials and stakeholders including economic development organizations and schools, a public survey, and an open house in January helped to identify some of the specific places of concern. WSP also conducted traffic counts and looked at census data as part of the study.

Among suggestions for addressing safety and congestion were improving signal timing at various intersections, restricting left turns onto Route 72, and providing better options for pedestrians and cyclists.

Several open house attendees shared their concerns with the WSP traffic engineers about motorists’ speed and limited site distance at specific intersections. Others favored expanding multi-modal opportunities.

“I’d like to do everything possible to break up congestion,” said Cornwall Borough councilman Bruce Conrad, who favors wider bike lanes and more connections between Cornwall Road and the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail.

Next up is for MPO and WSP to meet again with municipal officials and stakeholders.

“We want to make sure municipal officials agree with the recommendations because the impetus often needs to come from the municipalities,” Cowan said.

For those who didn’t attend the open house, the display boards can be viewed online at https://wspengages.com/route-72-cornwall-road-corridor. An online survey offers opportunities to provide comments, ask questions and share feedback.