Rapho Township was named the roadway winner of the 37th annual Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Awards during the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors' (PSATS) Excellence Awards ceremony on April 15.
The event, which recognized the achievements of townships and their officials from across the state, was held as part of PSATS' 97th annual Educational Conference and Exhibit Show in Hershey. April 15 was the opening day of the conference, which attracted attendees from every county in Pennsylvania except Philadelphia, which has no townships.
PSATS sponsors the statewide Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Contest each year in partnership with the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA) and the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to recognize townships for their contributions of time and effort in making roads and bridges safer.
Rapho Township was honored for completing a road realignment project to improve sight distance and reduce vehicle accidents. The township removed a sharp curve in North Colebrook Road between North Chiques Road and Cider Press Road. Property owners along the stretch had said for years that at times cars ran off the road into their yards. Numerous reportable accidents, including several involving overturned tractor trailers, made this one of the township's most dangerous stretches of road.
With the donation of a half-acre of land from the owner of a preserved farm and the eventual approval of the county agricultural preserve board, the township was able to get to work. The project design involved removing, reconstructing, and relocating a portion of North Colebrook Road. It also called for the installation of drainage and stormwater management facilities, including roadside swales, storm pipes, and rain gardens.
The road crew, with the help of contractors, worked many hours of overtime to be able to reopen the road in four months.
The PSATS represents Pennsylvania's 1,454 townships of the second class and is committed to preserving and strengthening township government and securing greater visibility and involvement for townships in the state and federal political arenas.
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