But due to the Route 36 vehicle apparently not going as fast as many motorists do through that intersection and a woman in the back seat of the other vehicle not sitting next to the driver’s side back door, the crash didn’t result in a fatality, although it caused three serious injuries, according to Musselman, one of about 35 local residents who attended a PennDOT display of plans for improvement at that intersection at a Roaring Spring church Tuesday.

At the event, a team of PennDOT consultants outlined three possible fixes: a stoplight, restricted crossings via a set of U-turns on Route 36 that would eliminate direct crossovers on Cross Cove Road or a roundabout, the PennDOT recommendation as the safest option.

Musselman once believed a stoplight was the answer, but a stakeholder meeting in March convinced him of the PennDOT position — which he has supported publicly since then, despite “flak” he has received on Facebook.

Alone among the three proposals, a roundabout satisfies all the main criteria for the project, including the primary one: it would greatly reduce the risk of serious injuries and death, according to the presentation.

Residents review PennDOT plans for a proposed roundabout to address a history of crashes at the intersection of Route 36 and Cross Cove Road in Taylor Township. Mirror photo by William Kibler

A stoplight would reduce the likelihood of T-bone crashes, but because it probably wouldn’t reduce the constant speeding along Route 36, it would probably also lead to high-speed rear-end crashes, according to officials at the meeting.

The U-turn configuration would reduce the speeding only slightly, and would add travel distance for certain travel movements, they said.

By contrast, a roundabout would force traffic to slow to about 25 mph, due to its circular shape and due to the curved shape of approaches to the intersection, according to officials.

A roundabout simplifies decisions for motorists, who when they enter from any one of the four directions need only to determine that there is space to do so, after which they go counterclockwise, then exit where they want, according to Joel Borrelli, project manager for consultant Michael Baker International.

The proposed single-lane roundabout would be built to accommodate all kinds of vehicles, including oversize trucks, farm equipment and horse-drawn buggies, which are common in the Cove, officials said.

A model of the proposed roundabout at Cross Cove Road and Route 36 was on display on Tuesday during a PennDOT public meeting to allow for public review of proposed changes to the historically dangerous intersection. Mirror photo by William Kibler

The center would include an “apron” that large trucks could encroach upon when necessary, officials said.

While PennDOT is foursquare behind the roundabout recommendation, a roundabout would take a bit of getting used to, because unlike a traffic light, it’s not common in this area, according to Borrelli.

But it shouldn’t take long, Borrelli said, based on his experience with a roundabout constructed about five years ago near his home in a part of Beaver County that is rural like the Cove.

Like Musselman, Taylor Township Supervisors Chairman Jerome Dodson has accepted PennDOT’s roundabout argument, after previously favoring a stop light.

He predicted it would take no more than a couple of months for local people to get used to it.

“No one likes change,” Dodson said. “But we need to do something.”

Retired truck driver Fred Kagarise and his wife, Carol, who live on Cross Cove Road just east of the intersection, haven’t bought that PennDOT argument.

Fred would like to see a traffic light, coupled with a warning light that would warn approaching motorists whether the light will be red — or not — when they reach the intersection.

There is such a setup as motorists approach Valley View Boulevard on 17th Street from I-99 in Altoona, and several such setups on Route 22 between Altoona and Pittsburgh.

Fred regards the roundabout arguments as “a bunch of crap.”

It would actually behoove PennDOT to simply fill in the dip in Route 36 just south of Cross Cove Road, because it can conceal oncoming traffic from motorists waiting at the intersection to cross or enter the main highway, Carol said.

That itself might be sufficient to solve the problem, she said, but if not, they could do additional safety work.

Filling in the dip is already being considered for the project, officials said.

Project plans are expected to be finalized in late 2029, with construction beginning in 2030, according to officials.

Construction would take two years.

A previous fix that included installation of warning lights and a reduction of the speed limit to 45 mph didn’t improve safety much, according to officials at the meeting.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.