Finding Luzerne County [36 Pa.B. 5940]
[Saturday, September 23, 2006]Under section 2002(b) of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 512(b)), the Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration makes the following written finding:
The City of Wilkes-Barre and the Department of Transportation plan to widen, relocate and extend Coal Street in Luzerne County.
The purpose of the Coal Street Improvement Project is to address the increasing peak-hour and midday congestion, to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians along the Coal Street corridor and to enhance the economic growth initiatives that are underway in the City of Wilkes-Barre.
The proposed actions of this project consist of the widening of Coal Street to five lanes between the southern terminus, the intersection of Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard and Highland Park Boulevard and the northern terminus, the intersection of North Pennsylvania Avenue and East Union Street. Shifting Coal Street to eliminate two turning movements near the northern project terminus will also provide a more efficient and uninterrupted flow of traffic into the intersection of North Pennsylvania Avenue and East Union Street. In addition, the proposed Coal Street project will improve signalization at several Coal Street intersections and will include reconstructing the existing severely deteriorated roadway.New sidewalks and crosswalks will also improve the conditions for the safety of pedestrians along Coal Street while enhancing access to Coal Street Park, as well as the surrounding residential and commercial areas in the Heights Neighborhood.
Alternatives were evaluated as required by section 2002 of The Administrative Code. The WRE Alternative has been identified as the alternative that satisfies the purpose and needs associated with this project and best balances impacts to the socio-economic, cultural and natural environment in the study area. The WRE alternative poses the least harm to the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the loss of only 0.68 acre to Coal Street Park.
The mitigation proposed for the Coal Street Park consists of a new landscaping to replace lost vegetation and enhance the Coal Street Park's appearance. Also, 0.68 acre of right-of-way owned by the City of Wilkes-Barre adjacent to the park's eastern boundary will be dedicated to the park as means of mitigating the 0.68 acre use required by the WRE Alternative along the park's western boundary.
The Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration has considered the environmental, economic, social and other effects of the proposed project as enumerated in section 2002 of The Administrative Code of 1929 and has concluded that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the project as designed, and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimize such effect.
RICHARD H. HOGG, P. E.
Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration[Pa.B. Doc. No. 06-1876. Filed for public inspection September 22, 2006, 9:00 a.m.]
