South Londonderry receives funding for a second roundabout on South Forge Road

South Londonderry Township is set to receive $1.75 million in funds to construct a roundabout at South Forge Road (Route 117) and Airport Road — just down the street from an existing roundabout.

The project, expected to cost around $2 million, is meant to improve safety and keep traffic moving at an intersection that regularly has vehicles backed up and waiting to turn.

A traffic signal would not be allowed due to the neighboring Reigle Airport’s runway lights.

The Multimodal Transportation Fund money will be $1.25 million, and the Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) grant will be $500,000. Township manager John Eberly said they’re attempting to get even more assistance.

“You never know what comes through,” he said. “I’ve also talked with the folks there at PennDOT and (Lebanon County) planning to see if there’s additional funds above and beyond the $500,000 from TIPs.”

Eberly said they’re also talking with North Londonderry and South Annville townships, which have vehicles from housing and warehouse developments that use the roads. He said there isn’t a solidified amount that the townships will provide, but they’re willing to work with South Londonderry on any out-of-pocket costs.

The area, as many in the area would know, has a lot of traffic coming off of Airport Road onto South Forge Road, and there have been multiple crashes involving drivers trying to turn onto the street to continue their commute.

“It’s just sheer volume. You have In The Net and all of their tournaments and things like that that go on in the summertime, and actually even in the wintertime,” Eberly said. “We see a huge uptick, especially at the beginning of the event or at the end of events or throughout the day where there’s a glut to try to get out there onto 117.”

Assistant township manager Richie Deibert said they’ve seen an increase in the past several years of about 400 trips per week. He said the township had PennDOT officials sit near the intersection to watch traffic, and “they couldn’t believe all the traffic that went through.”

Eberly said the main concern is the safety issues with the existing intersection.

“We’ve been very fortunate up to this point in time. We have not had any type of fatalities or major crashes out there, but you don’t want to wait for something like that to happen,” he said.

Most of the crashes have been fender benders. Eberly said the tractor-trailer traffic is extra concerning because they aren’t able to slow down as easily and can do major damage to small vehicles and their drivers.

He said they don’t have any specifics about engineering, statistics, or fine-tuned details since they’re very early in the process. The township is aiming to have the work done in about two years, with Eberly saying they “definitely” want to be working on it by summer 2028.

“And it’s not like we’re going to have to raise taxes at all,” he said. “That’s the beauty of this.”