Bethel Twp. supervisors look to reduce speed limit on two local roadways

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Looking to curb speeding motorists, Bethel Township supervisors unanimously approved a traffic study for one local road at their Thursday, Nov. 14, meeting and is expected to add another at its next public session in December.

Supervisors gave approval to conduct a traffic study on Mill Road to ascertain whether the speed limit should be lowered from 45 mph. Chestnut Hill Road was also cited during discussion as a roadway where motorists reportedly exceed the speed limit.

The board briefly considered adding Chestnut Hill Road to the study, but township solicitor Andrew Morrow said the second highway was not on the agenda for consideration. Morrow advised supervisors to hold off on conducting the Mill Road study until they decide to add Chestnut Hill Road so that both studies could run simultaneously.

During discussion about Mill Road, supervisor Michael Saphore, who is also the township's roadmaster, said that traffic from Ace Hardware store, combined with motorists coming from the Bell & Evans plant on Chestnut Street, "are creating a pretty good runaway." He said that's why he believes a speed traffic study needs to be conducted on Mill Road, saying later the road is a "drag strip."

"We put the electronic sign up but we can't track what it does from there," said Saphore. "Talking to the neighbors, it was abused. It slowed them down initially, but as the week went on, they realized that it was something there to catch their attention – which it did. But we're looking to slow that traffic down."

Township engineer Matthew Mack said there are numerous ways to conduct a speed study, with the most likely method to drive it five times and then calculate the average speed. He said this type of study considers turns and other factors, and Saphore replied that the section is a straightaway and equated it again to being like a "runaway."

Supervisor Bruce Light questioned Mack whether a study will actually show that the speed limit needs to be lowered if that particular methodology is used.

"It may not," replied Mack, who added the township does not have a police force to enforce it. "Now, if there are a lot of residential houses in the area, then PennDOT does allow for residential depreciation of the speed limit, but that area does not have a lot of houses."

Saphore said the area has actually become more populated in recent years.

Mack said there are ordinances specific to residential housing and speed limits and advised the supervisors to conduct the speed study first and then look at creating a housing-based ordinance if necessary.

"I can pull that other ordinance and we can evaluate whether we can implement that ordinance here also," he said.

Morrow added that he's recently read an ordinance like the one Mack referenced and said it seemed reasonable and made sense to implement.

Mack noted that state law sets a speed limit of unpublished or non-ordinanced roads at 55 mph and said that Morrow would have to create an ordinance if they wanted to lower speed limits in the township.

"For us to lower it, Andrew would have to put in a new ordinance to make it enforceable," he said.

Saphore said while no housing exists to the northern portion of Mill Road, significant housing is located on the southern side. Mack responded that enough residential housing would trigger a lower speed limit.

Supervisor chairman Richard Rudy stated that if they are going to do a study on Mill Road, then one needs to be done on Chestnut Hill Road too, adding that he received two complaints about speeding on that roadway within the last week.

"I went out one evening myself and that is horrible, it is horrible," said Rudy. "Why someone hasn't been killed yet on that road, I don't know. But I will tell you this: I will push for speed bumps like the state put up in Ono if they don't slow down. This is outrageous. I realize that they won't be visible when plowing snow, but rather that than somebody losing a life."

Morrow advised creating the ordinances together so that the proposals only have to be advertised once in a local publication.

Light said that once the board goes down the road of lowering speed limits on township roadways, other residents will want their speed limits lowered, too. Rudy replied that maybe that's what supervisors will have to do.

In other business, supervisors approved advertising their 2025 budget, which is expected to not have a tax increase, according to township manager Melissa Johnson. The budget will be advertised in local media and will be available for public review and comment from now until the township's next regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Dec. 12, which is when it is expected to be adopted.

In a separate matter, supervisors voted to approve the bid packet documents for the Camp Strause Road over Swatara Creek superstructure project. Wilson Engineering was authorized to gather bids from construction contractors with the following deadline modifications as part of one of two motions approved on Thursday for this project:

In a second motion related to this project, supervisors authorized Morrow to place the bid advertisement per the second-class township code in a local publication.

Concerning other action items, the board voted unanimously to:

The next regularly scheduled township supervisor monthly meeting is Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the township municipal building at 3015 S. Pine Grove St., Fredericksburg.