Hundreds sign petition to reopen Beaver County road abandoned for years

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An Independence Township man has collected more than 800 signatures for his petition to repair and reopen an abandoned state road.

“I feel frustrated, I really do. I feel let down. We pay our taxes out here,” said Paul Frey.

Frey lives on rural Independence Road, not far from a lengthy stretch that was closed years ago after it started to collapse.

At first, crews reduced it to a single lane, and then ultimately shut it down. Channel 11 captured video of the closure back in April of 2018.

While Independence Road is not a primary roadway, Frey said having it closed isn’t simply an inconvenience. He’s a member of the local fire department, and claims that the closure can have an impact on response times.

“Yes, this is a secondary road for sure, but we’re being treated like second-class citizens,” he said. “We need to get the road fixed.”

Frey said he submitted his petition to state Sen. Camera Bartolotta and Rep. Josh Kail, hoping for results. He feels ignored.

Channel 11 reached out to both leaders as well.

We received this statement from Rep. Kail:

“I share the frustrations with my constituents. My staff and I have been trying to get this issue resolved since I have been in office. I hope the efforts these constituents are taking will effectuate change and we will be there to assist them in any way we possibly can. We have visited the site and discussed with PennDOT on multiple occasions. We are hoping to get this issue resolved sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, there is a lot on PennDOT’s plate but this must be a priority.”

Channel 11 also contacted PennDOT for a response. We received the following statement from a spokesperson:

“With nearly 100 geohazard locations within our district and a reduction of funding for infrastructure projects, the department must prioritize slide repair work based on numerous factors.  PennDOT will be addressing 13 slide locations this fiscal year in Beaver County, however Independence Road is not among the repairs. The department will reevaluate the Independence Road slide repair for the new fiscal year.”

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