Towamencin receives engineering approvals and grant bids for Welsh/Orvilla intersection and corridor signal upgrades

Chad Dixon, the township traffic engineer, told the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors on March 12 that engineering work on the Welsh and Orvilla intersection—funded initially through a DCED Multimodal Transportation Fund grant for design—has advanced to permitting and stormwater design but remains subject to county conservation-district and PennDOT reviews.

Dixon said the State Historic Preservation Office required additional archaeological review in 2023, work that was completed in April 2024 and cleared the project to resume detailed design. He reported that initial infiltration testing showed low infiltration rates, complicating stormwater design and prompting additional testing and coordination with the county conservation district; that district’s review could take up to nine months. Assuming no major revisions, Dixon said the team will begin property-owner stakeout meetings and appraisal work this spring to pursue right-of-way and temporary construction easements.

"We don't want to wait until April to reach out to property owners—we're preparing plots and legal descriptions now," Dixon said.

Dixon estimated that, if reviews proceed without major changes, design and permitting could be completed before the end of the year, with 3–6 months to prepare construction bid documents and 12–16 months for construction depending on the season when work begins. He cautioned that timelines depend on PennDOT and the conservation district and on how property-owner meetings go.

Separately, Dixon said the township obtained a PennDOT Greenlight Go grant to upgrade traffic-signal equipment and install adaptive signal technology on about 10 intersections along the Sumneytown Pike corridor. He described adaptive signals as a system that monitors traffic volumes and adjusts timings through the day, and said design and permitting with PennDOT are expected to take 10–12 months before the township can bid the work.

Questions from supervisors focused on which approaches would receive advanced left-turn phases and on coordination with PennDOT's 309 connector project. Dixon said he would confirm specific signal phasing once PennDOT permit reviews are complete.

The board took no formal vote on construction for either project at the meeting; Dixon said the townships have applied together for construction funds and award announcements typically come in late summer or early fall.