New New Hanover Traffic on Planners' Minds

No. This is NOT the traffic prediction for Swamp Pike. Yet.

No one likes traffic.

But the recent revelation that a sprawling residential, commercial and office project planned in New Hanover could increase traffic on Swamp Pike by 50 percent has put the subject on the front burner.

Wednesday night, the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee took up the subject.

Crystal Gilchrist, Montgomery County's Principal Multimodal Transportation Planner, was on hand to answer questions and she explained that the project is not as far along in the process as developers made it seem last week when they reviewed the project for supervisors in neighboring Douglass (Mont.) Township.

This drawing shows that the proposed New Hanover Center project

stretches along Route 72 from Route 663 to Township Line Road.

As the discussion continued, the planner realized they could provide more information beyond the limited area the developers might be required to study.

For example, although the traffic impacts of Route 73 through Gilbertsville, where homes close to the
street make expanding the road difficult or not impossible, is likely to be extreme, current statutes do not require the traffic study by the developers include an area so far away in another township.

This even though many of those drivers will be trying to get through Gilbertsville to get to Route 100.

"But there's nothing that prevents you from doing one," Montgomery County Planner John Cover pointed out. And so, with the adoption of their budget, they may do just that.

For more, look for our story in The Mercury in the next day or so.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting.