Peters Township seeks approval for East McMurray Road design
If the state Department of Transportation is agreeable, East McMurray Road will have a new configuration near the entrance to the former Rolling Hills Country Club property.
Peters Township Council voted Sept. 10 to authorize Jim Berquist, council president, to sign an application to PennDOT for a highway occupancy permit related to construction of Rolling Hills Drive, the street that will bisect the property between its municipal and Peters Township School District halves.
Plans developed by the township call for a portion of East McMurray Road to be realigned slightly to the north, with a traffic signal and turning lanes at the intersection of the new street.
To accommodate property owners who otherwise would be hampered in attempting to exit their driveways, a stretch of the existing East McMurray will remain near the intersection, with cul de sacs on either side. The proposed configuration is similar to that of Morganza Road at its northern intersection with Southpointe Boulevard in Cecil Township.
Applying for a highway occupancy permit is a necessary step toward the East McMurray project gaining approval from PennDOT.
“They have accepted our traffic study, at this point,” said Paul Lauer, Peters Township manager. “They’re now prepared to review this design to find out whether or not it meets all the warrants for an intersection design.
“We fully expect that we will, because we have been in contact with PennDOT from Day One with regard to our intentions,” he told council.
Lauer also said that PennDOT District 12 executive Joseph Szczur “was willing to gather everyone who needs to review this into a room, and turned to them and said, ‘I don’t see any reason why we can’t get this approved.'”
Township officials also have been meeting with property owners who will need driveway extensions to access the realigned portion of East McMurray Road.
“PennDOT requires, anytime there is any change affecting a property owner, no matter how minor that change may be, that a new highway occupancy permit be filed,” Lauer explained. “The only difference is that there may be a slight adjustment in the depth of the asphalt that gets them out onto the road, and that requires a highway occupancy permit, we’ve found.”
Rolling Hills Drive will wind through the former country club property to connect with Center Church Road to the northwest, providing access to a new high school, which is targeted for completion in time for the 2020-21 academic year, and a proposed municipal park.