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PennDOT three-day Church Road closure request withdrawn after commissioners cite late notice
Summary
Cheltenham commissioners declined to consider a PennDOT request to close Church Road for three days the week of June 15, saying the township received insufficient notice and lacked a usable detour map; the applicant said PennDOT requested township approval only last week.
The Cheltenham Public Works Committee on June 3 declined to consider PennDOT’s request to close Church Road for three days to install a pipe crossing, citing short notice and a lack of clear detour mapping.
The committee’s chair opened discussion after staff presented the proposal. Andrew Shields of Allen Myers, the project representative, said the closure would affect the stretch between Rice’s Mill Road and Greenwood Avenue and that proposed detours would route southbound traffic up Rice’s Mill to Greenwood and northbound traffic via Glenside Avenue to Washington Lane. “So this pipe crossing is in between Rice’s Mill Road, and Greenwood Avenue,” Shields said, adding the detour would “reduce the impact during this pipe installation” compared with repeated short stoppages at a traffic light.
Several commissioners pushed back on timing and preparation. One commissioner said it was “disrespectful” to bring the request fewer than two weeks before the proposed work and said past cooperation from PennDOT on other maintenance issues has been lacking. Another commissioner stressed the absence of a detour map in the meeting materials and said staff should receive plans in advance so residents can see the route ahead of time. Commissioners also flagged what appeared to be a routing problem at a Glenside Avenue overpass, with one participant noting “you can’t turn there.”
Shields said the township’s approval was requested only after PennDOT returned to the applicant last week, and he apologized for any confusion about the timing and attachments. The chair recommended the applicant return after reworking the plan and providing staff time to review; a commissioner suggested the applicant consider nighttime work when they return. For the record, staff announced the committee would not consider item 3a “due to lack of information and notice,” and the presenter accepted that outcome.
Next steps: The applicant may resubmit the closure request after coordinating with PennDOT and township staff and supplying a detailed detour map and additional notice to residents. The committee took no formal vote on the closure; it was withdrawn from consideration for lack of information.
