LOWER MERION – At its most recent board meeting, Lower Merion commissioners approved motions to take possession of one slice of property and then turn another sliver of land over to PennDOT. Both transfers are for upcoming road improvement projects.
The first approval was for the township to accept the dedication of a 0.4-acre property at the corner of Spring Mill Road and Montgomery Avenue in Villanova.
“What you have before you is the acceptance of a right of way and deed dedication for a portion of Spring Mill Road to accommodate road widening that was part of the signalization upgrade project that was done to offset the middle school project,” Joseph Mastronardo, township engineer, told the commissioners.
The work includes widening Spring Mill Road and Montgomery Avenue to install left-turn lanes at the existing signalized intersection. The improvements also include ADA and traffic signal upgrades.
Once the agreement is complete, the land will be transferred to PennDOT.
Commissioner Andy Gavrin said the work would go a long way in easing traffic in the area, which has worsened since the new Black Rock Middle School opened.
“This is a really important project,” Gavrin said. “We’ve seen an already busy intersection get much busier. There’s no left turn lane. It blocks traffic, and it holds things up significantly. Adding left turn Lanes on both Spring Mill and Montgomery will have a huge impact on traffic there.”
In a later open space and township properties committee meeting, the board also approved transferring another section of property along Belmont Avenue to PennDOT.
The property at 136 Belmont Avenue is part of the township’s long-term plans to improve the area along Rock Hill Road and Belmont Avenue.
Several years ago, Lower Merion took possession of the property with plans to transfer it to PennDOT. Although PennDOT paid the township $258,000 for the property in 2015, they never asked it to be transferred to the state.
“The long-running Rock Hill Road Belmont Avenue project that would widen portions of the road has been going on for quite some time,” Ernie McNeely, Township manager, said.
According to McNeely, before PennDOT had the money to acquire property, it came up for sale, so the township purchased it.
“So [PennDOT] finally got around to [asking for the deed] and that’s where we’re at tonight. This would … approve us transferring that property that PennDOT paid for in 2015 to their ownership,” McNeely said.
Although the property transfer will soon occur, the project still needs to be funded or fully designed, so there is no timeline for any work.
