Board OKs gateway bid for pike
Street-level improvements along Bethlehem Pike took a step forward April 9 when the Springfield Township Board of Commissioners voted to award construction inspection services for the project to Michael Baker Jr. Inc. of Horsham.
The Flourtown-Erdenheim Gateways Project is being funded by a transportation enhancement grant for approximately $190,000 administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and jointly awarded to Springfield and Whitemarsh townships, Springfield Assistant Township Manager Mike Taylor said April 10.
As per the requirements of the grant, the township must utilize approximately $26,730 of the award to hire a PennDOT-approved engineering inspector to ensure the quality of the project, Taylor said.
Baker was selected on the strength of its qualifications, he said.
The improvements include concrete sidewalks, curbing, pedestrian islands, decorative crosswalks, ornamental street lamps, gateway pillars and landscaping, and will be concentrated at three locations: on Bethlehem Pike near Meadowbrook Lane and at West Valley Green Road and at the intersection of East Mill and Penn Oak roads, Commissioner Doug Heller said at the April 9 meeting of the board.
Construction should begin in late summer and be completed by the end of the fall, Taylor said.
The gateways project is just one of many initiatives leading toward making Bethlehem Pike more pedestrian and business friendly, Heller said in an interview April 11.
The commissioners are also considering how improvements in Springfield fit inside the scope of the entire Bethlehem Pike route from Mount Airy to Ambler, Heller said.
"We're in the midst of this study trying to determine where we fit into the whole corridor and what we can contribute," he said.
While the improvements largely focus on pedestrian safety and convenience, a broader goal is developing a sense of community, Heller said.
Trees along the road encourage drivers to slow down and notice the space they are traveling through, he added.
In other business April 9, the board passed a separate resolution to endorse an application to the Montgomery County Community Development Block Grant Program for streetscape improvements in Oreland.
This project could include street lamps, new sidewalks, street trees, sitting area improvements at Oreland Park and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps at intersections, Taylor said.