Cold temperatures delay Route 72 tree work; more than 1,000 respond to survey

The recent cold weather put the chill on planned tree trimming operations on state Route 72, the first phase of the $7-million resurfacing project of 6.32 miles of Quentin Road from the Lancaster/Lebanon county line to just south of Rocherty Road.

Pennsy Supply Inc., the project contractor, had anticipated starting on tree trimming at the end of January, PennDOT District 8 staff told members of the Technical Committee of the Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) at a recent meeting.

The work has been postponed due to weather with no date currently set for when it will begin, according to an email from Dave Thompson with District 8.

The resurfacing project includes base replacement, milling, guiderail updates, draining replacements and sign and overhead signing replacement. Also to be added is a southbound right-turn lane into Gretna Springs, West Cornwall Township.

District 8 staff also provided design updates on several other projects, including the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Orange Street and Cornwall Road, Lebanon. That is due to be let in June 2026.

Signal improvements on Route 72 at York Street and Summit Street, both in North Cornwall Township, also are in the pipeline with an estimated let date of June 2027. The project will replace outdated traffic control technology with devices that use video detection to improve traffic flow and signal timing and coordination.

Other projects in the pipeline include the reconstruction of Lingle Avenue in North and South Londonderry townships and Palmyra Borough, and safety improvements at three intersections (Route 501 and Reistville Road, Kochenderfer and Kimmerling roads, and Hill Church Road and Thompson Avenue).

More than 1,000 residents completed an online survey about the Route 72 and Cornwall Road corridors between Oak Street in Lebanon and Route 419 in Cornwall and West Cornwall townships, Jon Fitzkee, the county’s senior transportation planner, told LebTown. The MPO kicked off this corridor study at the end of June 2025.

The survey focused on people’s views on traffic operations, safety, pedestrian and bicycle access and access to adjacent properties in the two corridors. Respondents were instructed to identify specific locations with safety and congestion problems, suggest desired improvements and rank priorities such as reducing traffic congestion, improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and reducing crashes.

“We are going to take those survey responses and comments from the public meeting (held on Jan. 14) and make recommendations for the municipal stakeholders to consider,” Fitzkee said.

 The corridor study will be wrapped up by June 30.

Fitzkee also told committee members that the MPO will use CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds to add two intersections to its draft 2027 transportation improvement program (TIP). The intersections are Cornwall Road and Route 419 in Cornwall Borough and Airport Road and Route 117 in South Londonderry Township.

“With these projects on the TIP, we will have somebody in District 8 who will work directly with the municipalities on these intersections,” Fitzkee told LebTown.

In other business, the MPO reappointed Jamie Wolgemuth as chairman and Fitzkee as secretary. Chad Yeagley was appointed vice chairman.

The next meeting of the MPO Technical Committee is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 17. The meeting will be held in room 207, Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 S. 8^th St., Lebanon, and is open to the public.