Every year, upwards of 1.5 million visitors find their way to Moraine State Park in Butler County despite the circuitous access that’s available now.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will hold a public display Tuesday of plans to improve access to the park’s North Shore area by adding ramps in both directions from Route 422 to West Park Road. Right now, the only direct access to that area from Route 422 is a westbound exit onto another park road.
(Click image for larger version)
The plans call for removing the existing westbound ramp and replacing it with new ramps at West Park. Since that interchange will be only several hundred yards from Interstate 79, the new ramps shift the main access to that area, something the park has been trying to accomplish for years, said Justin Drew, who manages the park for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Now, visitors coming from the south are directed off of I-79 at the Route 488 exit and asked to follow a series of winding roads to various points in the park. The route is not bad for the South Shore but very difficult for the North Shore, which features a gift shop, boat tours and bike rentals.
“[The new ramps] would give you direct access to the park from the highway, almost direct access from I-79,” Mr. Drew said. “That’s definitely an advantage over what we have now. I think it will please people who use the park.”
The main attraction at the 16,521-acre park — especially in warm weather — is Lake Arthur, a popular boating, fishing and camping area. The park also has trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, and in the winter facilities for ice skating, sledding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
The proposed $5.2 million project, scheduled for late next year, also includes improvements to the 1-79/422 interchange, including a new traffic signal at the Route 422 ramp to southbound 1-79.
PennDOT spokeswoman Deborah Casadei said the department wants more public input before it proceeds with the project.
“We’re not done with this yet,” she said. “We want people to come out and tell us what they think of this.”
The open house will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the DCNR Western Regional Office, 195 Park Road, Prospect.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1470.
First Published: May 9, 2016, 4:00 a.m.