Route 288 Zelienople Road Improvements Begin Next Week in Franklin Township

Long-term Closure of Route 288 Starts Monday

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the closure of a section of Zelienople Road (Route 288) in Franklin Township, Beaver County, will begin Monday morning, July 26 weather permitting.

A section of Zelienople Road between Lake Road and Old Furnace Road will close to through traffic beginning at 7 a.m. Monday continuously through early November as work begins on the Route 288 realignment project. Improvement work includes roadway realignment, paving, storm sewer installation, grading and subbase work, sign upgrades, guiderail updates, and pavement marking installation. To allow the work to occur, traffic will be detoured. Separate truck and car detours will be implemented.

Posted Detours

Car Detour

West of the Closure

• From Route 288, take Old Furnace Road (Route 1009) westbound
• Turn left onto Hartzell School Road and cross the Connoquenessing Creek
• Turn left onto Route 588
• Follow Route 588 back to Route 288
• End detour

East of the Closure

• Same detour in the opposite direction

Truck Detour

West of the Closure

• Follow Route 288 westbound to Route 65
• Turn left onto Route 65
• Turn left onto Route 588
• Follow Route 588 back to Route 288
• End detour

East of the Closure

• Same detour in the opposite direction

Additionally, Lake Road will close to traffic between Route 288 and Dutch Road from 7 a.m. Monday continuously through early November. Through traffic will be detoured.

Posted Detour

West of the Closure

• From Route 288, take Old Furnace Road (Route 1009) westbound
• Turn left onto Hartzell School Road and cross the Connoquenessing Creek
• Turn left onto Route 588
• Turn left onto Route 19
• Turn left onto Fanker Road
• Fanker Road becomes Lake Road
• End detour

East of the Closure

• Same detour in the opposite direction

The $1.59 million project, sponsored by the Zelienople Airport Authority, consists of realigning Zelienople Road and Lake Road, vertically lowering Zelienople Road, widening Lake Road, pipe and inlet installation, grading and paving, and other miscellaneous work. The overall project is anticipated to conclude in the spring of 2022.  Independence Excavating, Inc. is the prime contractor.

Motorists are advised to use caution, slow down and expect changing traffic patterns.  Work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website

Ex-jail medical assistant arrested on sexual assault charges
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A former medical assistant at the Allegheny County Jail is facing charges of institutional sexual assault and indecent assault after three female inmates filed complaints about the man. Shiquille Desesso was arrested Thursday and was awaiting arraignment, Allegheny County Police said. Online court information showed the 29-year-old Desesso initially declined a public defender, but no other attorney information was available on the court website. The department did not name the inmates or release details of Desesso’s alleged conduct, but called it “concerning” and described it as “inappropriate touching.”

Governor says his position on voter ID hasn’t changed
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
LOGANVILLE, Pa. (AP) — With talks on wider election-related legislation at a standstill, Gov. Tom Wolf says his position on expanding Pennsylvania’s voter identification requirements hasn’t changed, and that he’s against anything that would “suppress the vote.” When Wolf vetoed a Republican-penned election bill on June 30, he cited a list of reasons, including imposing additional voter ID restrictions. Hours later, at a news conference, he said, “we can have that conversation” about whether Pennsylvania’s existing voter ID requirements are enough. On Thursday, he said, “I’m willing to have a conversation about voting reform. … But if you’re trying to suppress the vote, that’s just a nonstarter for me.”

(McCandeless Twp., Pa) 5-year-old Loujain Olleak  of Wexford died after she was hit by a car Wednesday night in a parking along Salisbury Court in McCandless Township.

Olleak, was hit shortly before 8 p.m. and was taken to a hospital, where she died just after 8:30 p.m.

(Photo used with permission of New Brighton Borough)

(New Brighton, Pa.) The Speed Limit on Grove Ave in New Brighton is being reduced to 15 MPH. The Borough stated on their Facebook Page that With increased traffic on Grove Avenue following the closing of the Cemetery Road Bridge in Pulaski Township, the speed limit on Grove Avenue has been reduced to 15 MPH. Additionally, the stop sign at the intersection of Grove Avenue at Thorn Street has been reinstalled making the intersection a three-way stop. There have been complaints from residents of vehicles speeding up and down Grove Ave.

(Beaver, Pa.) Hundreds came to Beaver for ARISE USA’s RESURRECTION TOUR Rally in downtown Beaver on Wednesday Afternoon. There were may keynote speakers including Republican Senate Candidate Sean Parnell. There were also Food Trucks, Music and Live horses at Beaver’s McIntosh Park. the event lasted for four hours.

THE TOUR ENCOMPASSES ALL 50 STATES WITH  84 STOPS- 1 CHANCE FOR CHANGE..

(Photo-New Superintendent Dr. William  Woods talked to the board  at his first board meeting)

(Story and Photos provided by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa School Board met on Wednesday night and promoted elementary assistant principal Dr. Robert Motte to principal at their regular meeting. He told the board, “I’m excited for this position , the support here has been tremendous.

(Moon Twp., Pa.) An arrest warrant has been issued for 25 year old Anoosh Almas. He is wanted on homicide charges relating to the killing of his 28 year old cousin Junaid Akhlas from Beaver who was found shot to death in the trunk of his car Tuesday Afternoon at the old Texaco Station on University Blvd. in Moon Twp.
Almas is described as a South Asian male, 5′7″ in height, 210lbs in weight, medium build.

Reports said that after Almas killed his cousin he rented a hotel room nearby where police found a bag of bloody clothes in the garbage that a lyft driver told them he put there and then he went to the airport and boarded a plane to Cancun, Mexico.

Almas faces charges including tampering with/fabricating physical evidence, receiving stolen property, criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse among others.