HONESDALE -- A crosswalk in downtown Honesdale that's been there for decades is technically illegal.
Now borough leaders are looking for a way to keep the crosswalk even though PennDOT may not want it there.
People are back and forth across Main Street in the borough, using a faded crosswalk that's been there for at least 60 years.
It leads right to the post office, which is a very busy part of town.
"I think it's a nice place for a crosswalk," said one pedestrian.
A nice place maybe, convenient even, but according to PennDOT, it's illegal. Crosswalks are allowed at the end of each block and were recently repainted. While the fate of the crosswalk in the middle of the block is decided a fresh coat of paint also hinges on that decision.
"It's extremely heavily used, most used crosswalk in town," said Honesdale Borough Council President Jim Brennan.
Brennan recently counted the number of people who use the crosswalk throughout the day. He sent the totals to PennDOT, one year after Brennan said a PennDOT survey on the crosswalk was sent back incomplete.
Now proposed utility work along Main Street, which is also Routes 6 and 191, has forced PennDOT and the borough to try to work out an agreement about the longtime crosswalk.
"It's just taking away one more advantage of living in a small town by eliminating the crosswalk," said Brennan.
Every other crosswalk in Honesdale is at the end of the block except for the one in front of the post office. PennDOT said it`s technically illegal. They also say they can do nothing to enforce it.
"I guess if PennDOT says it can't stay, it can't stay. But it's a nice place for a crosswalk," said Julie Lisowski.
"I think it'd be hard on a lot of the older people, they cross here come straight into the post office instead of having to go down to the corner and cross there or to the other corner," said Richard Hawran of Honesdale.
So while the future of the crosswalk has yet to be decided people keep using it to cross Main Street safely.