Politics & Government

Traffic Signalization Project Moves Forward

Horsham to split costs of traffic light installation, operation and maintenance with Lower Gwynedd Township.

The intersection of Welsh and Cedar Hill roads in Horsham could be signalized with a traffic light by early next year, an official said Wednesday.

The Horsham Township Council Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution to OK the installation and operation of a traffic signal at the intersection. Right now, a stop sign is at Cedar Hill Road, according to Township Manager Bill Walker. Motorists driving on Welsh Road do not have to stop, he said.

The signalization is a collaborative effort between Horsham and Lower Gwynedd Township, Walker said, adding that the municipalities will split the costs of engineering, installation and maintenance 50-50. Walker said he could not recall the specific costs, but said the stop light is necessary to make the intersection safer. 

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“The traffic signal is warranted,” Walker said. “It’s a busy intersection.”

As part of the process, which he said began in early 2010, Horsham and Lower Gwynedd were required to submit vehicle crash records to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for the past five years. From those submissions, Walker said PennDOT determined that a traffic light was necessary.

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Welsh Road, or Route 63, is state-owned and Cedar Hill Road is locally owned, Walker said.

The light could be installed late this year, or the early part of 2012, Walker said. Had the townships opted to wait for PennDOT to install the light, the process could have taken much longer.

In other business, the council, at solicitor Mary Eberle’s suggestion, voted to rescind the public hearing dates for several matters connected with the impending closure and redevelopment of the .

In setting the dates for the public hearings, Eberle said she had followed local guidelines, but failed to allow time for the council to consider and review input from advisory bodies and, if necessary, amend the proposed ordinance.

“With the time-line I presented to you, you’re not going to be able to do that,” Eberle said.

The first hearing, regarding the removal of the , had been scheduled for June 8. The council intends to eliminate the district and remove development restrictions currently in place.

The second hearing had been scheduled for July 13 to adopt the township’s . While the future of the nearly closed air base is still being decided, the township’s comprehensive plan, as drafted, includes development projections for the base, which include mixed uses, a town center and roads through the 1,100-acre property. The map, which goes hand-in-hand with the comprehensive plan, was crafted in conjunction with the township’s bordering the base.

The council has not set new dates for the public hearings. 

 


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