West Penn Township’s request to have school signs installed at a fatal intersection have been rebuffed.

It was announced at Monday’s board of supervisors meeting that the township received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in response to the township’s letter dated Nov. 13 requesting permission to install “School Bus Stop Ahead” signs on Route 895 (Summer Valley Road) for a school bus stop at nine locations on Summer Valley Road, ranging from 2935 to 3485 Summer Valley Road.

PennDOT said it has conducted its review of the location to determine if “School Bus Stop Ahead” signs are warranted.

“At the current time, the department does not authorize the installation of the requested signs,” the letter states. “A field review of the location revealed that the school bus stop is not in accordance with the requirements for a “School Bus Stop Ahead” sign set forth in Publication 236-Handbook of Approved Signs.

“School Bus Stop Ahead” signs are only authorized for use in advance of locations where a school bus, when stopped to pick up or discharge passengers, is not visible by a motorist for a distance of 500 feet in advance.”

After further discussion, supervisors motioned to have township solicitor Paul J. Datte look into the school bus correspondence and see if there is anything else the township could do.

In October, supervisors agreed to send a letter to PennDOT requesting the school signs and agreeing to purchase, place and maintain the signs.

The school bus stop ahead signs would have been placed on Summer Valley Road (Route 895) between Archery Club Road and Route 309.

That came after supervisors earlier in October discussed an option to install a flashing signal at the intersection of routes 309 and 895 in the village of Snyders, a location where multiple fatalities and crashes have occurred.

Then Supervisor Glen Hummel had attended a meeting with state Reps. Jamie Barton and Doyle Heffley, and PennDOT officials to discuss the safety of the intersection.

In the past few months leading up to that time, two fatal crashes happened there.

Hummel noted that PennDOT recently updated signs on both routes 309 and 895 “to try to add awareness of the intersection.”

One suggestion, Hummel said, was for a red flashing light.

The township, however, would incur the estimated $30,000 cost of the light and its installation. The possibility that grant funding would be available was mentioned at that time.

Hummel said motorists traveling on both roads will see it, even as they drive parts of what he described as “blind knolls.”

PennDOT officials were also mulling other options to have traffic slow down, such as painting, additional signs or even rumble strips.

Signs that record and display motorists’ speeds were placed along both roads.