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Middletown Area SD says traffic study nearly ready; PennDOT permit process will govern road construction timeline
Summary
Superintendent reported the district is finalizing a traffic impact study and plans to apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit; district staff said the HOP process will likely take eight to nine months before road construction can proceed.
Superintendent Dr. Hunter told the Middletown Area School Board that the district is finalizing a traffic impact study for an elementary-level building project and will seek PennDOT approval before applying for a Highway Occupancy Permit, a multistep process that could take the district eight to nine months.
Dr. Hunter said the district held a meeting “this morning at 9 to fine tune some things,” and that staff are “hopeful that that will go up for final approval with PennDOT in a week.” He added: “Once that gets approved by PennDOT with final comments, then we’ll be able to apply for the HOP, which’ll get things finalized with PennDOT and the township and then we’ll be able to move forward with the construction of that road. But that takes, HOP takes about 8 to 9 months to get through PennDOT.”
The board opened the agenda item under unfinished business and operations. Board member Mrs. Moore introduced the item; Dr. Hunter provided the substantive update. According to Dr. Hunter, PennDOT’s final comments are the immediate gating item: after staff receive and address those comments the district will submit the Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) application. Only after the HOP is approved will the district move forward with related roadway construction that is tied to the elementary building project.
The district did not provide additional financial details, a construction start date, or a precise HOP submission date in the meeting. Dr. Hunter said the HOP timeline is “about 8 to 9 months,” which the board treated as a planning estimate rather than a guaranteed schedule. No formal vote was taken on the item during the meeting; the update was presented for the board’s information.
The timeline means the road work linked to the elementary building is contingent on external approvals by PennDOT and coordination with the township. The board did not specify whether the road construction would be bid separately, included in a general-contractor package, or funded through a particular bond or capital project line; those funding details were not discussed during the update.
Board members did not request additional motions or public comment when the update concluded; the agenda moved on to athletics and other items.
Looking ahead, Dr. Hunter and district staff indicated they will return with updates after PennDOT’s final comments and once the HOP application has been submitted and scheduled.
