Planned Day Care Center Raises Traffic Concerns In Newtown Township

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The residents of Delancey Court are asking the township to consider traffic calming measures for a plan to bring a daycare center and medical office building to the Route 413 corridor.

On February 26, Steven Kieley, representing the Delancey Court Homeowners Association, expressed concerns before the board of supervisors over future traffic that will be generated by the development.

Durham Investments is currently seeking land development approvals for a 10,000 square foot daycare center and a 6,000 square foot medical office building across Route 413 from Delancey Court on a slightly less than five-acre parcel just north of the township building on Durham Road.

The two free-standing buildings, which are by right uses in the professional services zoning district, would sit 100 feet off the road with parking located behind the buildings.

The proposed daycare center would house 120 children and 20 employees. It would also include a 5,000-square-foot outdoor play area adjacent to the building.

“Our issue centers on the fact that there’s going to be 726 trips in and out of that site every day,” Kieley told the supervisors last week. “The worst situation is during the peak hours of the morning between 7 and 9 and the peak hours of the evening between 4 and 6, there will be a line of traffic making left hand turns from the center lane of 413 (into the daycare center site) blocking the line of sight by our residents (as they exit Delancey Court) as well as the southbound drivers on Route 413. It’s going to be a very dangerous situation.”

Kieley asked the supervisors to approach PennDOT with the idea of including traffic calming signals at the northbound and southbound approaches to the daycare center that would break up the backups and allow for turning movements. The signals, which he said are used successfully in New Jersey, turn red for about 30 seconds allowing congestion to clear.

“It doesn’t really disrupt traffic, but it does slow down traffic and allows traffic to move,” he said. “And it will avoid the line of sight barrier that will exist by having this traffic lined up in the center lane. We’ve already had several accidents and near misses and the traffic is nothing like it’s going to be when we have these 800 trips going in and out if there every day."

Kieley told the supervisors, "It’s important that this board impress on PennDOT the concerns and hopefully we can resolve this situation with this very simple procedure. We’re asking the board to take up our argument with PennDOT and impress upon them that there is a lot of concern.”

The planning commission in February recommended that the board of supervisors approve preliminary as final land development plans for the project.