5,000 More Cars Coming to Route 73

Photo by Evan Brandt

This map shows the sprawling New Hanover Center proposal that stretches from the intersection of North Charlotte Street (Route 663) and Swamp Pike west to Township Line Road and the border with Douglass (Mont.) 

A massive development proposed in New Hanover that will take more than a decade to complete will have impacts outside the borders of the township, not the last of which is the addition of as many as 5,000 cars per day through Gilbertsville.

The potential traffic impact from New Hanover Center was the issue of primary concern Monday when the developers -- American Real Estate Development -- outlined the project for the Douglass (Mont.) Township Supervisors.

Supervisor Tony Kuklinski pressed the issue, resulting in the revelation that currently, Swamp Pike, which becomes Philadelphia Avenue in Gilbertsville, currently sees about 10,200 vehicle trips per day.

This project, which has already received preliminary approval from the New Hanover Board of Supervisors, calls for 760 housing units -- 509 of which will be townhomes; 124 of which will be single family homes, and 130 of which will be senior housing.

It also plans for about 200,000 square feet of retail space, including a new grocery store, which is seen as a primary generator of traffic.

"I am going to be able to walk to Spring City faster than I can drive there," said Kuklinski, who is the police chief in Spring City.

There is not much Douglass Supervisors can do given that the project is not in their township.

And there is not much traffic engineers can do given that Gilbertsville was developed with homes up to the sidewalk, so there is no room to widen Philadelphia Avenue.

The plans do call for improvements to the intersections with Gilbertsville Road, Township Line Road and North Charlotte Street.

Another impact, observed Henry Road resident Bernie Sell, is the impact on Boyertown area schools.

After Kuklinski noted to the developers that "Douglass doesn't get anything out of this, other than the traffic," Sell added "oh yes we do. We get to build new schools."

Here are the Tweets from the meeting.