Clearfield's messy traffic problem

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

We don't pretend to know how to redesign the busiest - and, now, most confusing - intersection in Clearfield.
But we do know that PennDOT and highway engineers got it wrong when they rebuilt the intersection to accommodate changed traffic patterns in light of a new CVS building.
Involved are Brewery HIll; Third Street; Bridge/Nichols Street; and Bigler Avenue/Route 322, which funnel traffic up and down two hills and around a bend in the Susquehanna River.
"You can't get there from here" seems to apply to the CVS store, since the new pattern indicates that motorists wishing to patronize the store must first drive past it, then turn right in order to enter the parking lot for the store.
Since Clearfield is the county seat of Clearfield County, "local traffic" is augmented by people who travel through Clearfield only infrequently. "Bottleneck" understates the emotional tension involved.
The appropriate officials are well aware of the situation, but have limited choices with respect to smoothing things out.
What is now in place is not working very well at all. Perhaps it is time that PennDOT acknowledges the need for expert outside assistance.
Fixing this mess will take time and cost money.
Clearfield deserves some help on this one, given the state-level nature of busy Route 322 running through the heart of the town - and the problem.
- Denny Bonavita