MONTGOMERY TWP – Changes could be coming to two Montgomery Township roads, in light of projects underway – or recently completed – in the township. On Monday night, the township’s supervisors authorized a traffic study to look into restricting right turns on red lights on Upper State Road northbound at its intersection with Horsham Road, and to look at signals on North Wales Road near the entrance to the Montgomery Mall. Township Manager Lawrence Gregan told the board that monthly meetings between township staff and traffic engineer Kevin Johnson of Traffic Planning and Design Inc. have raised concerns about drivers making right turns from Upper State onto Horsham. ‘There was, during the construction of Horsham Road, a ‘no turn on red’ restriction primarily due to some sight issues, but when the road (widening) was complete PennDOT removed that restriction,’ Gregan said. He presented a proposal from Johnson to the board that would include a written request to reinstate the no-turn-on-red ban, and if that request isn’t acted on, to follow up with a traffic study looking at safety concerns that township police have raised in light of increased pedestrian traffic at that intersection from walking trails along the recently opened 202 Parkway. ‘Normally, they look at traffic accidents; however, we haven’t had any, but a number of people have had near misses at that intersection because of the speeds on Horsham Road,’ Gregan said – in this case, referring to accidents related to right turns at that intersection. The board unanimously approved the proposal from Johnson at a cost not to exceed $2,350, before approving another traffic related request from Gregan just a few blocks west. As construction proceeds toward a planned opening on Nov. 3 of the Wegmans Supermarket at the Montgomery Mall, Gregan said, Wegmans was required to do a traffic study after the new parkway opened to analyze traffic patterns where mall drivers exit onto North Wales Road. ‘It had a fairly accurate analysis of what the traffic patterns were in the area, and after the 202 Parkway was open, that study indicated that improvements were required on North Wales Road,’ Gregan said. Only minor signal timing changes would be needed to the signal at Harbob Lane, but an all new traffic signal could be installed at the intersection of North Wales and the entrance to the Montgomery Mall, Gregan told the board. Both changes require approval from PennDOT, which the board voted unanimously to submit, and the agreement documentation spells out how the township would maintain the signal based on the recommendations of TPD, the township’s traffic engineer, and Pennoni Associates, acting as traffic engineer for Simon Properties, owner of the mall. ‘For us to move forward, the township needs to adopt a resolution that authorizes the submission of the permit application, and recognizes our future maintenance responsibilities for the signals, or the changes, once they’re installed and accepted by PennDOT,’ Gregan said. That authorization was granted unanimously by the supervisors, with jokes that they’ve heard from township residents who are more excited about the Wegmans opening than the proposed township community center currently in the planning stages. Montgomery’s board of supervisors will next meet at 8 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the township administration building, 1001 Stump Road. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.MontgomeryTwp.org or follow @MontTwp on Twitter. Follow staff writer Dan Sokil on Twitter @DanSokil. For breaking news SMS alerts from The Reporter, text LANNEWS to 22700 from your mobile phone. *Msg & data rates may apply. For help, text HELP. To cancel, text STOP. Privacy policy – journalregister.com/privacy
