Kittanning Decides Loading Zones for Jefferson Street

It won’t be long before the 100 block of North and South Jefferson Street will be converted for two-way traffic in downtown Kittanning.

In preparation for that change, Kittanning Borough Council last night approved two loading/unloading zones to make room for deliveries of trucks up to 53 feet long. Both zones will be located on the west side of the street (closest to the river).

The zone on North Jefferson Street will replace two meters located between HAVIN’s Second Chance Shop and Family Dollar. The South Jefferson Street zone will replace two meters directly in front of the Men’s Club.

The zones will be utilized by standard trucks making deliveries such as UPS and Fed-Ex, and by larger vehicles carrying deliveries of beverages as well as oversized trailers carrying pallets of goods.

Police Chief Bruce Mathews said the both zones were located near the center of the block and would provide good utilization for local businesses. For instance, the North Jefferson Street zone will not only accommodate deliveries to Family Dollar, but also be available for shoppers to load or unload their merchandise for HAVIN’s shop.

Once two-way traffic is restored to Jefferson, a four-way stop sign will be placed at the intersection with Jacob Street. Councilman Gerald Shuster was concerned that traffic would back up past the fire hall, and make it impossible for the fire trucks to respond to a call in a timely manner. Mathews said he was currently working with Kittanning Hose Company #1 on the Riverbration traffic plans and will discuss the stop sign issue in the near future with them as well.