PCTI Streetscape Project Community Meetings Set

If you want to know what is going on with the upcoming Wood-Vine Connector Project in Lansdale, especially how it will affect you as a business owner, resident or commuter, then set aside some time next week to attend two scheduled community meetings on the project.

The Wood-Vine Connector is Lansdale's PCTI streetscape project that looks to take drivers around Broad and Main—and the SEPTA tracks—via a non-stop thoroughfare from Vine and Broad streets to Wood and Main streets. At Wood and Main, drivers would encounter a four-way traffic light—this light will be the one relocated from Susquehanna Avenue and Main Street. Susquehanna would then become right-turn only.

The project will reconfigure the look and layout of Lansdale Public Library's parking lot. It also required several right-of-ways acquisitions, including The Reporter, Verizon and the U.S. Postal Service.

"One of the toughest things to do in a municipality anywhere is a streetscape project, because it is pretty disruptive when you do it," said Borough Manager Timi Kirchner during her report at Lansdale Borough Council's action meeting Wednesday night. "But also, the outcome is pretty terrific, as far as the look and feel of your town is concerned."

Lansdale's communications division sent out a letter and a map of the project to more than 300 residents who live in vicinity of the project.

"The letter invites the 300 people to two meetings," said Kirchner.

The first meeting is Monday, May 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Lansdale Borough Hall.

"That's for those folks available during the day, but in particular, for the businesses that are in operation at that time," Kirchner said. "We had a number of calls from a number of businesses saying, 'What do we do through this?' We will have those answers for them at that meeting."

The second meeting is Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. in Lansdale Borough Hall.

"At those meetings, we will have the contractor, so everyone gets to meet the contractor, including, and especially, the foreman. With the last streetscape project, it's the foreman who is out there everyday, and who indeed interacted with all the businesses on Main Street and Broad as this was going along," Kirchner said.

"We received a lot of favorable remarks from our businesses, even though there was considerable disruption," Kirchner said.

The meetings will be led by members of borough traffic engineer Pennoni Associates, borough engineer Remington, Vernick and Beach, councilmembers and borough staff. The project affects Wards One and Three in Lansdale.

"We'll even offer to spend some time in the library—and we'll be announcing those times—so that if anybody in the neighborhood has questions, they can come in and talk to (utilities director) Jake Ziegler at those times," Kirchner said.

Kirchner said the meetings will look at the history of the project, what has taken place already and the impact on vehicles, including what routes to take during road closures.

"We will be telling people that we will be, as we have done in the past, provide regular updates on the website and we will be releasing those updates to the media as the project proceeds," Kirchner said.