Bethel Township Planning Commission asks for more info on intersection project

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The Bethel Township Planning Commission asked Bell & Evans at their April 15 meeting to come back with more information on how they would increase sight lines at the Blue Mountain and Chestnut Hill intersection to improve safety.

Planners are working with the poultry company, which will pay any costs associated with fixing the intersection.

The intersection has been a regular topic of conversation for Bethel Township officials. It leads to Bell & Evans’ Plant 3, which serves as the company headquarters, and an upcoming Plant 4 to be constructed behind that facility. It’s also close to a farm entrance owned by the company, where they plan to build a packaging and cold storage facility within the next 10 years.

Township engineer Matthew Mack of Mack Engineering said crashes typically happen when people come out from side roads to turn onto Blue Mountain Road. Commissioners offered ideas of lining up the two offset parts of Chestnut Hill Road or putting up stop signs on Blue Mountain Road to slow traffic.

“Typically, they don’t want an offset,” Mack responded. “Would that help? Yes, but I don’t think the traffic engineer would recommend offset things because if you’re in the middle of a turn and I’m in the middle of the turn, that’s when the accidents happen. Where if you’re sitting across, if somebody goes, you can stop quicker.”

He also said adding stop signs to the area would be more work than just installing a sign. They would need to do a traffic study to predict the number of vehicles using the area and its conditions.

Commissioners told Bell & Evans they want more information about whether they can increase visibility for drivers turning from Chestnut Hill onto Blue Mountain. This would involve taking the bank of the woods down and raising part of Chestnut Hill Road.

“We could take a look at that and see if that wouldn’t be too much to do,” Bell & Evans COO Michael Bracrella responded. “We could do that as a first step, and we could see what folks think.”

In other business, the commission recommended the approval of several waivers for the Lynford Steiner and Paul Nolt ag operations.

The Bethel Township Board of Supervisors will meet next at 7 p.m. on May 15 at the township municipal building. The next planning commission meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on May 20.