PennDOT adjusts Route 309 Connector Project plans in Hilltown following resident concerns
HILLTOWN — PennDOT has agreed to revise the final phase of the Route 309 Connector project following concerns from Hilltown Township residents about two proposed roundabouts.
The roundabouts were originally slated for the intersections of Fairhill Road and Route 309 and Old Bethlehem Pike and County Line Road, with the intention of easing traffic flow and reducing speeds.
But at a March Hilltown Board of Supervisors meeting, the plans received significant pushback from the local community. Numerous residents argued that the Fairhill Road roundabout would generate substantial and unsustainable levels of traffic on the narrow township road.
In addition, Dave Keller, co-owner of the Indian Valley Camping Center, a RV dealer, stated that the Old Bethlehem Pike roundabout would necessitate the acquisition of the company's retail and garage building, which he described as "the heart of the business." He also stressed that the building is the company's sole sewer access point, noting that the center's sales lot on the eastern side of Old Bethlehem Pike does not have sewer access.
Following the meeting, the township, in partnership with state Rep. Shelby Labs, sent a public letter to PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll outlining the residents' concerns and requesting some adjustments, including the replacement of the Fairhill Road roundabout with a cul-de-sac and that the replacement of the Old Bethlehem Pike roundabout with a traffic signal or the provision of sewer service on the eastern side of Old Bethlehem Pike.
After a series of meetings, Carroll sent a public letter to Labs in July acceding to the request for a cul-de-sac on Fairhill Road and committing to working with municipal authorities to secure sewer access for the Indian Valley Camping Center.
"We took a lot of meaningful steps here in five months," said Hilltown Supervisor Joe Metzinger. "I'm pretty pleased with where we landed. It was hard to change a multi-million dollar project with PennDOT, but they came to the table and were willing to talk."
"This is a quality of life issue for these residents and the entire township, and we wanted to present some common sense solutions," said Labs. "PennDOT was very receptive and gave us a response that we think was very favorable. I'm hopeful that everyone is happy with this result, and we'll continue to move forward and get this to the finish line."
Keller said that the provision of sewer service would enable the Indian Valley Camping Center to continue its operations.
"If they can get us sewer, I think we can make the transition," said Keller. "We can certainly build another building. We have the land. But if we don't have bathrooms, we don't have an operation."
While acknowledging that the cul-de-sac will redirect traffic elsewhere, Metzinger noted that the township can implement traffic calming measures on local roads.
"We are gonna disperse the traffic elsewhere. The view still holds that they are not sufficient to handle the traffic volumes," said Metzinger. "But we have a lot more authority over those roads as a township to make changes, adjust speed limits, add speed bumps, things like that."
Originally conceived in the 1960s, the five-mile-long Route 309 Connector project aims to connect the Northeast extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Route 309 to remove truck traffic from local roads and enhance mobility for motorists.
The first phase of the project featuring the reconstruction of Wambold Road in Towamencin was completed in 2012. The second phase includes the ongoing construction of a new roadway from Allentown Road to Cowpath Road and the reconstruction of Township Line Road from Cowpath Road to Hatfield/Souderton Pike, with construction expected to be completed by next fall.
The third and final phase will add additional roadway from Souderton Pike to a new 309 interchange in Hatfield and Hilltown townships, with construction anticipated to begin in 2025-2027.
