Apollo Borough's project to fix intersection where woman was hit, killed stalls

APOLLO, Pa. — The Apollo Borough’s project aimed at fixing an intersection where a woman was hit and killed has stalled.

Carol Lee Sells was walking across Warren Avenue in Apollo in December 2014 when she was hit and killed by a car. Immediately after, the borough took action to make the intersection safer. %

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“This is a state highway, but the council wants to ensure that every roadway in this community is safe,” Apollo Borough Solicitor Tim Miller said.

Lines were painted on the pavement to highlight the crosswalk, and signs were added to alert drivers. However, a streetlight has yet to be installed. Borough leaders told Channel 11 News that it’s now been 16 months without any action.

“We've spent close to $6,000 on some of these measures already, and we've allocated another $2,200 to $2,300 for the streetlight. Well, West Penn Power told us that there would be an invoice that would have to be paid before they would install it. Well, we haven't received that invoice in 16 months,” Miller said.

Armstrong County promised Apollo a grant to pay for the upgrades, but the borough doesn’t get the money until it pays for them.

“It's extremely frustrating not to be able to close this out,” Miller said. “I don't want to say the grants are in jeopardy, but at some point, we're going to lose the money because we haven't spent the money.”

West Penn Power acknowledged the problem, saying the person the borough was in contact with retired and issued the following statement:

“We have contacted the borough and are moving forward. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.”

"I just believe safety is (the) No. 1 priority, and that has basically nothing really to do with being on council or not being on council. I want to make sure everybody's safe,” Apollo Borough Councilwoman Diane Bradshaw said.

West Penn Power said it plans to get in contact with Apollo immediately, but no time frame for that streetlight is in place yet.

Cox Media Group