Addisville Commons Hearing Continued Again

Wednesday evening’s meeting was thought to have been the final Addisville Commons hearing before the Northampton Township Supervisors. In fact, Board of Supervisors Chairman George Komelasky announced at the outset that the Board thought this hearing might last only about an hour and then public comment could begin once again.

However, after nearly three and a half hours of testimony, cross-examination and clarifications, Komelasky announced the hearing will be continued at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the . The expectation is that after this next continuation, public comment meetings will occur.

Thomas Smith, Esq., special independent counsel for the Township, began questioning Joseph DeSantis, President of McMahon Transportation Engineers and Planners, about his review of the traffic impact study prepared by Dimmerling Consulting, Inc. for Addisville Commons of November, 2010, and the supplemental traffic analysis just completed by DeSantis’ office.

The Dimmerling report focused on two main signalized intersections on Second Street Pike at the proposed supermarket entrances.  However, DeSantis suggested that the Rt. 232 intersections at Almshouse Road and one at Bustleton Pike and the Crossroads Plaza access should be studied. Also two additional intersections should be considered in any further studies: the one at Bustleton Pike and Crossroads Plaza and the one at Almshouse Road, Township Road and Richboro Shopping Center access.

Concern for all of these intersections focused on queues of traffic as well as turn lanes. Much time was spent on identifying the additional seconds a driver would be delayed in those lines trying to reach one end of town to another and what would happen as people try to make left turns from the major arteries. In some cases, the wait time likely will increase four fold, the report said.

Almost all of the testimony was based on projected traffic increase in Richboro according to projections by PennDOT, as well as the additional traffic which would be created by a Giant supermarket at the former Davis Pontiac site. In some cases, wait time to make left turns could be quadrupled with additional development.

DeSantis suggested, also, that any new signals should include separate pedestrian lights because with the current signalization, pedestrians are in jeopardy trying to cross the intersection because cars are able to make right turns on red.

For much of the meeting, DeSantis used large charts and tables to show traffic count and traffic flow at each intersection during peak and off-peak hours.

Among other points that he made, DeSantis echoed what had been stated in an earlier meeting: traffic flow will be compromised by converting the current four lanes to three lanes on Second Street Pike between Almshouse Road and Bustleton Pike.

In cross examination, Mark Kaplan questioned DeSantis about stated increased delays. DeSantis said it depended on the time of day and the intersection.

Kaplan took issue with DeSantis regarding a proposal to ameliorate traffic with a “bypass” from Almshouse Road at the proposed Giuseppe’s development to run behind other commercial properties and go to the Giant development. Kaplan said that proposal was no longer part of the Addisville Commons plan and should not have been brought up.

Replays of the meeting are on the Northampton Municipal Access Channel for residents to view.