Pedestrian Killed on Route 119
Route 119. Riser’s Pub is located in the bottom left corner of the picture.
Dorian Mills was walking on the southbound side of Route 119 in Bullskin Township at 2:15 AM on Saturday, June 22, when he was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV. The driver is not expected to be charged, meaning that they were probably not breaking any laws.
US Route 119 runs through the southwest corner of Bullskin Township. It is maintained by PennDOT District 12. It’s posted speed limit is 50 miles per hour, which is a high enough speed that nearly any pedestrian-vehicle collision would result in a fatality. While it does have a grade-separated interchange at Everson Valley Road, the other four crossings in the Township are at-grade, only one of which features crosswalks. There are no sidewalks along Route 119 in Bullskin Township.
What was Mills doing on the road at 2:15 AM? The only establishment along this stretch of Route 119 open anywhere near that time is Riser’s Pub, which closes at 2:00 AM. Assuming Mills had been at the bar, he made the responsible choice not to drive. Reports also describe Mills as “walking in the right hand lane.” While the reports are unclear as to whether he was in the travel lane or the minimal shoulder on the road, what is clear is that Mills was following PennDOT guidance for pedestrians, which states “If no sidewalk is available, walk as far on the side of the road as you can, and always walk against traffic.” If both Mills and the driver were behaving the way they are supposed to, then the infrastructure is inherently unsafe.
Route 119 is designed as if the only people who will ever access it will only do so by car. This obviously isn’t true, and in the case of bar patrons like Mr. Mills may have been, should be actively discouraged. A sidewalk could be an option, but that would still leave pedestrians adjacent to a high-speed facility. The Institution for Road Safety Research recommends that on roads with potential conflicts between drivers and vulnerable road users, speed limits should be kept to 20 miles an hour. To maintain a speed of 50 miles per hour, pedestrians should be provided with a separate facility like a trail or a sidewalk along a frontage street.
So how would we get something like this built here? Route 119 is maintained by PennDOT, which will only respond to written requests from a municipality. The Bullskin Township Board of Supervisors have a very light presence online, so the best way to reach out to them is to call them at 724-628-7630. They also have a facebook page where you can message them.