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The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors voted to submit permit requests to PennDOT, which is part of the process to get a flashing crosswalk system across Fairlane Avenue and upgraded traffic signals at 422 and Wintersville Road.
Township engineer Stephen Sherk said he recommends they wait on this feedback before moving forward.
“I recommend we get that back in case PennDOT has any comments to it — make any changes to the plan,” Sherk said.
He said they will ask the department to expedite it, and once they hear back, they can move forward going out to bid.
The traffic light, according to Houtz, is more expensive due to the scale of the project.
The lights will have a sensor that can sense emergency vehicles so they can turn the light green when they approach.
“We have to increase the size of the cabinet that all the electronics are in,” he said after the meeting. “They essentially have to take all the electronics out, put a new cabinet in, and then put all the electronics back in.”
Houtz said the rough estimate for the project is around $29,000.
For the crosswalk project, there is already a painted walkway on the road, but supervisors want to add signage that will blink at oncoming traffic when a pedestrian pushes a button to signal they want to cross.
It was previously approved, but the township ran into some setbacks that brought it back on the agenda.
“By the time we got the permit approval, the contractor had demobilized and wanted to increase the cost in order to install it,” Houtz said. “Now because it’s wireless technology, it’s a much lower price, and it’s something that we can do ourselves.”
The road crews will do the installation once all permits are approved and the signage is purchased.
A quote from TAPCO, or Traffic and Parking Control Co., shows the project’s estimated cost is around $9,200.
Houtz said payment for both the crosswalk light and the traffic light upgrade will likely be paid for from the general fund.
In other business, there will be a public zoning hearing on March 3 at 7:30 p.m. regarding 501 W. Washington Ave. Houtz said several feet off of 422 is zoned commercial, but it does not follow the owner’s property line. They are asking for the commercial zoning area to be pushed back to fit the entire property.
The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will meet next at 60 N. Ramona Road on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
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