Lower Paxton Twp. police issued a traffic advisory Monday morning about the closure of Nyes Rd. between Locust Lane and Union Deposit Rd. due to damage caused by heavy rains. The road is closed in both directions. PennDOT has been notified. It is unknown how long it will take to repair the road and open it for traffic. Questions concerning the repairs and reopen time should be directed to PennDOT District 8-0 Headquarters.

Question … Is it legal to go to the right of the main line of cars on N. Mountain Road at the Eagle Hotel in the square to make a right-hand turn onto Linglestown Road (Rt. 39 East)? – posted by mzimmy on PennLive’s Linglestown Forum (See thread #401.) BB answer … According to a LP traffic safety officer that answered my info request, swinging out to the right of the main line of traffic is legal at the Eagle Hotel on N. Mountain Road as long as two conditions are met: (1) you can be pull off the maneuver safely and (2) it does not require leaving the roadway, which shouldn’t be an issue at the square. It’s best to stay in line until you’re second in line though – you will be cited if pulling out to the right results in a collision with a motorist who does the same thing further up in the line. _____ BB AnswerLine is a free service provided by Linglestown Gazette and its subsidiary Linglestown TV.CLICK HERE to submit a question via e-mail – please put “BB AnswerLine” in subject line.  

the planned $4 million Lingletown square and improvement project? As reported on this blog Tuesday, I'm hoping to do a brief video interview with a member of the Village of Linglestown Committee, the citizens group that has been assisting Lower Paxton Twp. develop a plan to improve traffic flow through historic Linglestown and give the town a facelift. I'd like Linglestown Gazette nation to in essence do the interview. What do you want to know about the project? Please post comment or send an e-mail with your questions.

The two roundabouts that are supposed to be constructed in Linglestown – one at the square and the other between the old and new fire stations – should result in less gas usage and reduce pollution, according to transportation experts quoted in an article published by a Bucks County newspaper. I hope to meet in the near future with a Village of Linglestown Committee member to get an update on the village improvement project that could be put out for bid this fall.

With gas now at $3.90 / gallon by my house, I am officially glad that I traded the Element for the Fit. Sure, I miss the cargo space and and I’m certain I’ll miss the 4WD when winter hits, but I don’t mind getting 60% better gas mileage (40mpg vs 25mpg, or about $30 per week). Apparently lots of other people are noticing too, as the US Department of Transportation reported that March 2008 saw the single biggest decrease in miles driven, ever. Last Thursday I drove my friend to Strawberry Square for her first-ever Civil Service exam (AO and Records Specialist, for anyone keeping score). We left Etters around 7am, thinking that with rush hour, we’d have plenty of time to arrive, park, and hit Starbucks before her 8:15 test. Her first test of the day was for AO, which is a notoriously ridiculous test. Most of the approximately 10,000 questions on the test were apparently written by the criminally insane, making a brief coffee-and-muffin-and-relax period before the test fairly important. We figured we’d have about 10-15 minutes before sign-in. Turns out we arrived around 7:20. That is, after getting on 83, it took us about 20 minutes to go from Hillside Cafe to Second Street, climb to the 9th floor (for good luck) of the Walnut Street garage, park, and walk to Starbucks. There was a slight increase in traffic over normal times, but it didn’t affect our driving at all. Maybe a lot of in-city workers just happened to call of sick that day (it was a nice day out), maybe we just got lucky, or maybe it was some other fluke. It’s been a long time since I’ve driven into or out of the city during rush hour. I have the luxury of working a glorious 4 - midnight shift in the NOC. Even during those occasional overtime shifts, when I find myself driving at 8am, I’m usually going against the flow of traffic so rush hour rarely impacts me at all. But I can’t help but think that last week’s Thursday Morning Sampler seemed a lot more mild than I remember. Years ago I used to have to cut through downtown on my way to work every morning around 7:30, and I clearly recall more than one occasion where it took several minutes to move two blocks. Could it be that more people are carpooling, taking public transportation, or even finding jobs closer to home? Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but I’d like to think that our current gas prices are forcing people away from the “One Escalade Per Person” mentality. Has the fact that the price per gallon has nearly doubled in the past 18 months, where us lucky ones are “only” paying $100 per month in gas, wielded the ever-powerful dollar to convince a few more people to share a ride to work, thus removing 2-4 cars from morning rush hour in a single shot? Or am I just imagining things? I’d like to hear from anyone who regularly drives during rush hour, since this may very well have been a one-off fluke in our favor. Epilogue: In an unprecedented act of speediness, the Civil Service Commission graded her test today, less than one week after she took it. 87% on Administrative Officer and 91% on Records Specialist. And to think I’m still waiting on my promotion scores from a month ago.

Q findings … Gazette contributor Q spotted a number of food-related items today. He read Mimi Brodeur’s review of Sakana Hibachi Steak House & Sushi in The Patriot-News. Sakana is a new restaurant located behind Dunkin’ Donuts along Linglestown Road. Next, Q was paging through this month's Fly Magazine and happened upon a review of St. Thomas Restaurant located in the heart of the village square. And last but certainly not least, he spotted a sign for Chicken BBQ on Saturday morning/early afternoon at Linglestown American Legion located across from Hornung’s Ace Hardware. Weekend preview … CLICK HERE for info about Dauphin County Recycling Day – 8th anniversary event at St. Thomas Roasters – open house at Olivia’s Team Room – continuation of a lecture series at Chocolate Cafe. CLICK HERE for info on a free concert Friday night. (See second item.) Square project update … Lower Paxton Township officials are still working on obtaining right-of-ways for improvements along Linglestown Road in the village. The start of construction has been pushed back until at least this fall, according to township supervisor Bill Seeds, who is a village resident. Work could be delayed beyond this fall if construction bids come in significantly above the $4 million in the project kitty. Mowing contest update … For those of you entered in the contest, I mowed my yard two times this week, taking the count to 9. The combination of wet weather, fertilization and occasional sun is making the green stuff grow like crazy! And, Gazette reader DRM plans to contribute an item for the prize package – a gift certificate for a Harrisburg eatery.