Trending
South Williamsport is going to be host to a Wawa store just off Route 15 with traffic safety improvements planned for this normally heavily congested area.
South Williamsport Development LLC. was a recipient of a $390,236 state grant to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 15 and Fairmont Avenue to support the development of a Wawa gas station located in the borough. The Williamsport Wawa on Maynard Street held a grand opening last month.
"The borough is excited for the Wawa store development and is serving as the sponsoring entity for the state grant," said Steven W. Cappelli, borough manager and borough public safety director. "In addition to the new store, the traffic signals to be placed at Route 15 and Fairmont Avenue will unquestionably slow northbound traffic entering the borough and improve public safety," Cappelli said.
The Wawa is to be located just off Route 15, at the site of the former Kings Motel across from Little League's museum and gift shop.
State Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, serving the 83rd House district and Lycoming and Union counties, and state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, representing the senate's 23rd district, spoke about the grant and other grants amounting to more than $1 million in grant funding through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA), which has been awarded to the Wawa safety project and two others.
The fund provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure a safe and reliable system of transportation is available in the Commonwealth.
"Safety is a top priority of mine, and this money goes a long way to protecting the well-being of residents," Flick said. "I'm grateful to have teamed up with Sen. Yaw to advocate for these critical projects and subsequently secure much-needed funding."
"Maintaining and improving our roads, bridges and walkways is an essential component of ensuring the safety and mobility of the commuters and pedestrians who travel them each day," Yaw said. "I was pleased to work with Rep. Flick to support these significant investments in our local critical infrastructure."
The other grant awards and project descriptions are as follows:
• Loyalsock Township Board of Supervisors: $416,000 for preliminary engineering for a pedestrian bridge over East Third Street and Millers Run in Loyalsock Township. This is the preliminary engineering for the future pedestrian bridge that will connect the neighborhoods of the township to the Susquehanna Riverwalk and the many businesses along the East Third Street corridor.
• City of Williamsport: $200,000 for a transportation enhancement project located along West Third Street and Elmira streets. This was a state DCED Multimodal grant that was applied for last July for a streetscape project on West Third Street between Center Street and Hepburn Street and Elmira Street between Third and Fourth streets.
The total funds requested were $2.7 million for engineering and construction. The grant of $200,000 will cover most of the permitting and design costs. With these funds, the city can move forward with obtaining engineering professional services to produce the design of the project. The city may have to look at doing this project in phases and seek additional grant funding for the next couple of years, Scott said.
The city could do Phase I construction on Third from Hepburn to Elmira streets; Phase II on Third from Elmira to Center streets; and the last phase on Elmira from Third and Fourth streets. It is open to further discussion.
With the $200,000 grant awarded, the city could design the entire project and then seek additional funding for construction in the three mentioned phases.
Those at Jackass Brewing Co., Wahl, and Farrington Place -- businesses nearby -- have expressed their appreciation for the administration of Mayor Derek Slaughter turning its attention to improving this area of the city.
Scott and Valerie Fessler, city director of the department of economic and community development also briefed Council about this grant application and how the section of the city was growing and the safety improvements for pedestrians and motorists, alike, would be helpful to citizens and business owners.