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Residents press board on signal timing, crosswalks, cemetery sidewalks and Sunoco pipeline activity
Summary
Public commenters asked the board to seek PennDOT timing changes for Route 413 signals, requested updates on the Tara and Silo Drive crossing and sidewalk/curb project (including a Newtown Cemetery position), and raised concerns about Sunoco truck activity and a pending report on pipeline leaks.
During two public-comment periods the board heard multiple community safety concerns.
Steven Keeley of Delancey Court urged the board to ask PennDOT to time Route 413 signals so peak-hour gaps (7–9 a.m., 4–6 p.m.) would allow left turns into the new 413 Durham Road site, reducing the chance that queued left-turning traffic blocks through lanes. Keeley described the approach as an economical safety measure used elsewhere and asked the board to pursue PennDOT engagement.
Charles Foyer (Newtown Walk) sought a timeline for a promised crosswalk upgrade at Tara and Silo drives and said he had been told the sidewalk-and-curb project was 'scuttled.' Foyer reported that Richard Tomlinson, president of the Newtown Cemetery Association, supports permanent sidewalks and curbs; the chair said she had a written note from cemetery custodians expressing the opposite view and said she would circulate that note to the board.
Valerie Michalik said she had recently observed Sunoco trucks on Linton Hill Road and Eagle Road and asked whether the township had an update on Sunoco activity in Newtown. The chair said the township is waiting on a report covering about the last 10 years of pipeline leaks being collected by Upper Mayfield; the board will share the report once it is available.
The comments prompted staff and board discussion about whether PennDOT had reviewed a gap study as part of the Durham Road application; township staff said the study was provided to PennDOT as part of the review and that PennDOT had issued the highway-occupancy permit for the Durham Road access.
The board committed to share the cemetery custodians’ note with residents and to follow up on the pipeline report when it is received.
