Jackson Township approves South Ramona Road detour (Updated)

Update: Construction on the South Ramona Road bridge will now begin on May 4 instead of April 27 as originally planned. Find our original article below.

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Jackson Township Board of Supervisors approved the temporary road closure and detour of South Ramona Road for bridge repair work at its April 20 meeting.

Tentatively scheduled to begin on April 27, a portion of South Ramona Road will be closed to through traffic for five days. 

North and westbound traffic will follow signage for a detour from South Ramona Road to U.S. Route 422 to South Fairlane Avenue to King Street and back to South Ramona Road. South and eastbound traffic will follow the reverse pattern.

A preconstruction meeting is planned for April 22. Repairs by Harleysville based Axis Stabilization will address a partially collapsed wing wall on the bridge.

“Because this (bridge repair) involves soil nails, there is going to have to be a rather intensive testing program. We want to make sure when they put those nails in that they meet the requirements for the design,” Sherk said.

Council placed a temporary 10-ton weight limit on the South Ramona Road bridge in September 2025, following an initial inspection that raised some concerns. An inspection by Wilson Consulting Group in October 2025 advised the work be completed within six months.

In other news, the board:

• Heard comment from resident Debbie Carroll Weaver regarding increased activity at the park at Wheatland Woods Lot 107, which has led to trespassing on her property. Weaver requested signage stating park rules be placed. Resident Lucia Zobnowski echoed Weaver’s concerns, explaining she has encountered an uptick in people trespassing on her adjoining property. Council vice chair and recreation board member Michael Dunkle said they are in the preliminary stages of phase two for the park and plan to install signs when it is completed later this summer.
• Discussed action to take on properties noncompliant with sewage management. Solicitor Paul Bametzreider said each landowner has received four notices. Council approved a motion to hire a hauler to have the property sewers pumped and have Bametzreider’s office issue fines.
• Approved waivers presented by Bert Nye of Nye Consulting for agricultural land development plans by Dean Nolt on Bollinger Road.

Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will meet next on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the township building, 60 N. Ramona Road.

Additionally, a public meeting regarding the 22-acre Whitmoyer Laboratories Superfund site – now the location of Jackson Recreational Park – is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 20, also at the township building.

Zoning hearing board meetings for Allen Distribution are planned for May 21 and June 3. Allen Distribution received a $1 million Multimodal Transportation Fund grant in February 2025 to build three rail sidings serving a proposed 625,000-square-foot warehouse at 655 King St.