Actions Considered For Accident-Prone Eagle Road

In the last five years there has been 16 accidents near the intersection of Eagle Road and Maryland Avenue, where the latest accident last month left one Havertown woman dead. Now township officials want PennDOT to take action.

During a 1st Ward Meeting at the Mano Fire Co. on Wednesday, Feb. 08, the commissioner of that ward, Steve D’Emilio, and the Haverford Township Police Department’s Chief Carmen Pettine, Deputy Chief John Viola and Lt. Joseph Hagan discussed the history of the accident-prone intersection.

From 2007 until 2012, there have been 16 accidents, where the latest one resulted in the death of 58-year-old Cheryl Henrich. Because of the latest accident, Viola said the township asked PennDOT if there were any reasons for the accidents, which the department could not find.

The police department did its own four-day study at the intersection, from Friday, Feb. 3 until Wednesday, Feb. 8, which found that:

• 66,476 cars traveled in both directions during the four days

• 16,619 cars per day traveled

While the posted speed limit of Eagle Road, a state road, is 35 mph, Viola said the police department will tolerate motorists going up to 45 mph, adding that anything 46 mph and above will be enforced.

But during the four-day study, it was revealed that only 1.3 percent of the cars (about 864) went more than 46 mph, Viola said.

“Speed is not the issue. … There are issues along there and we can’t figure out why,” Viola explained. “We don’t have an answer for you. PennDOT doesn’t have an answer either. There is just a lot of traffic and cross traffic.” 

Township Manager Larry Gentile thinks the reason for the heavy traffic along that section and others is due to the Blue Route/I-476 since it was created in 1992.

“I’ve said it then and I’ll say it again, the worst thing to happen to Haverford Township is 476,” Gentile said.

But police will have a stronger presence and will enforce traffic along Eagle Road and near the intersection, vowed Viola.

Some of the suggestions that residents and the township officials came up with to decrease accidents were: 

• Flashing warning lights 

• Flashing lights with a sign that says “high accident area,” provided by PennDOT

• Lower speed limit to 25 mph

Gentile said that he would contact PennDOT with the suggestions and to see if the department would consider another traffic study along Eagle Road.

D’Emilio also stated that he would like to see State Rep. Greg Vitali (D-166) to make sure that PennDOT looks into the matter.