County approves letter of support for Silver Spring Township's Woods Drive widening CFA-LSA grant application

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved a request from Silver Spring Township for a letter of support for the township's application to the Commonwealth Financing Authority Local Share Account (CFA LSA) statewide grant program for the Woods Drive widening project.

Silver Spring Township presenters explained that Woods Drive is an older, narrow former farm road that has become one of the township's busiest corridors because of recent residential and commercial development. Tyler Fairchild, identified in the record as the township's public works director, said the project's priority is to widen the roadway to meet current lane and shoulder standards and add pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to improve walkability.

Fairchild told commissioners the project is in the engineering phase and said he did not expect construction to be completed before a new Costco store opens nearby. Commissioners noted the pending Costco and the likely traffic increase as a reason the project is timely.

One commissioner reminded township staff that the county is also an applicant to the LSA program this year and that applicants compete within the statewide pool. Township staff said they understood the competitive environment and were seeking the county endorsement to strengthen their application.

The board approved the letter of support by voice vote.

Why this matters: widening Woods Drive and adding pedestrian infrastructure aims to address increased traffic and safety concerns on an aging roadway, and a successful CFA LSA award would supply state funds for construction.

Ending: Township staff will proceed with the grant application and engineering work; county staff recorded the vote approving the letter of support.