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Upper Hanover board presses developers for intersection fixes, orders 24-hour truck counts
Summary
Supervisors reviewed traffic studies for the proposed Upper Hanover Business Center and Kraussdale Road Industrial Project, directed a 24‑hour traffic count at Route 663/Schoolhouse Road, and said projects that add truck traffic must share an estimated $661,000 in intersection safety improvements.
The Upper Hanover Township Board of Supervisors on Dec. 11 pressed developers to help pay for intersection upgrades after reviewing traffic studies for two proposed industrial and business developments.
At the work session, Township Traffic Engineer Sandy Koza told the board the applicant for the Upper Hanover Business Center reported ‘‘a total of 186 trucks per day’’ and noted about 18 trucks in each direction at the Route 663 and Schoolhouse Road intersection. Board members said the intersection’s geometry limits truck turning movements, has caused backups and contributed to signal equipment damage, and concluded that projects that add truck traffic should contribute to improvements. The minutes record the board’s estimate of roughly $661,000 for the safety upgrades needed to improve truck turning movements at that location.
Supervisors also noted the Business Center traffic study omitted Total Daily Traffic counts. Koza said manual counts after dark would be necessary. By motion of Supervisor Ben Fiorito, seconded by Dottie Diehl, the board unanimously authorized Sandy Koza to schedule and perform a 24‑hour traffic count at Route 663 and Schoolhouse Road.
The board raised similar concerns about the Kraussdale Road Industrial Project, where members said the developer’s proposed road alignment for widening was unacceptable and asked the applicant to coordinate improvements with The Residences at Upper Hanover so that widening occurs on both sides of the existing cartway rather than only one side. The board’s review of that project’s traffic study likewise indicated additional truck traffic would use Schoolhouse Road and Route 663.
The board discussed pedestrian circulation as well: members said employees who would cross Route 663 to reach businesses such as the nearby Wawa may warrant a crosswalk at Northgate Boulevard, but that Route 663’s width and PennDOT jurisdiction make a crosswalk unlikely without a formal study and PennDOT approval. The applicants proposed to study crossing demand after occupancy and, if warranted, pursue PennDOT review.
What happens next: the township’s traffic engineer will complete the authorized 24‑hour counts and return findings to the board; the board expects developers whose projects increase truck volumes to work with the township on funding their proportional share of intersection improvements.
