Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting operations on Route 18 in various municipalities in Beaver County, will occur today, Tuesday, April 13 weather permitting.

Lane restrictions will occur on Route 18 between Allegheny County and Route 151 in Raccoon Township as PennDOT crews conduct line painting operations. Work will occur until 2 p.m. today.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Lines need repainting each year because of normal wear, tear, and weather. Winter maintenance activities such as plowing, spreading anti-skid materials, and studded tires are very abrasive to paint lines and can cause fading.  Normal weathering caused by snow, rain, and ice also contribute to line reflectivity reduction.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Dr. Michelle Miller received the  Jean E. Winsand  2020 Distinguished  Woman in Education Award .recently The event was held at Upper St. Clair High School , according to Board President Jeff Winkle. According to information on the award, it honors a woman who has made a significant  and positive difference throughout her career.

(Big Beaver Boro, Pa.) Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that they were dispatched to a report of an accident on Toll Interstate 376 on Friday night around 10 PM for a one vehicle accident Eastbound in Big Beaver Boro.
Upon arriving at on the scene and investigating Troopers learned 37-year-old Derek Weidner of New Brighton was driving a 2012 Chrysler 300 while traveling East on Toll 376 in the right lane when he lost control of his vehicle due to falling asleep at the wheel. The vehicle then struck a mile post sign, the curb, and then flipped over several times on roadway and came to an uncontrolled final rest facing Northeast with severe damage. Troopers reported that Weidner was not transported to the hospital but was suspected of minor injuries. He was cited by State Police for not Driving a Vehicle at Safe Speed.

(North Sewickley Twp., Pa) Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that they were dispatched to a report of an accident on the Pa Turnpike on Friday night, April 9, 2021 around 11 PM at mile marker 18.5 in North Sewickley Twp.
Troopers report that when arriving on the scene and investigating they learned that Brian Gehring from Bridgeville, Pa., who was driving his 2000 Honda Civic, was in the right lane on the Pa Turnpike traveling East when a deer ran out in front of the vehicle Gehring was operating. Gehering swerved to miss the deer and lost control of the vehicle and went off the roadway and struck an embankment rolled over and landed back on it wheels. Gehring then drove down the shoulder of the road to find the nearest mile marker and call authorities. Gehring was transported to UPMC Presbyterian for suspected minor injuries.
Gehring received a warning from Troopers for not properly driving on high ways laned for traffic.

AAA: Western PA Gas Prices Up Slightly; National Average Stabilizes
Gas prices in Western Pennsylvania are a penny higher this week at $3.000 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $3.000
Average price during the week of April 5, 2021                                         $2.993
Average price during the week of April 13, 2020                                       $2.147

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$2.956      Altoona
$3.061      Beaver
$3.097      Bradford
$2.892      Brookville
$3.033      Butler
$2.896      Clarion
$2.959      DuBois
$3.062      Erie
$2.929      Greensburg
$3.078      Indiana
$2.995      Jeannette
$2.999      Kittanning
$2.998      Latrobe
$3.084      Meadville
$3.099      Mercer
$2.839      New Castle
$3.078      New Kensington
$3.099      Oil City
$3.026      Pittsburgh
$2.868      Sharon
$2.981      Uniontown
$3.099      Warren
$2.888      Washington

Trend Analysis:
After a wild March, Americans are seeing some stability at the pump. This is thanks in part to a small decrease in demand, cheaper crude prices, and an increase in refinery utilization. Today’s national average ($2.86) is one cent cheaper on the week, but more expensive on the month (+3 cents) and year (+$1.00). 40 states’ averages either increased or decreased by a penny or had no change at all this week.

At 84%, refinery utilization is at its highest measurement this year. This strong utilization rate, as measured by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), helped contribute to the addition of 4 million barrels of gasoline, pushing overall supply levels to 234.5 million barrels for the week ending April 2.

For the first time in nearly two months, crude oil prices last week held below $60/barrel for five straight days. The cheaper price is a positive indicator for more stability at the pump.

With a 1.25% decrease, demand dropped slightly to 8.7 million b/d. This is well above the 5.5 million b/d recorded one year ago, but still significantly lower than the 9.8 million b/d seen in early April 2019.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 73 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.