Politics & Government

Committee Gives Hartwell Lane Reversal Favorable Recommendation

A public hearing was held on the ordinance Tuesday.

West Hartwell Lane is one step closer to being reversed to run one-way eastbound. City Council’s Streets and Services Committee voted to give an ordinance that would reverse the street a favorable recommendation after a public hearing Tuesday.

The committee heard from Debbie Ferraro, a traffic engineer with Pennoni Associates, authors of a traffic study on the

It was first recommended in the study that West Hartwell Lane be reversed to let out onto Germantown Avenue to ease the flow of traffic out of the proposed development at the former Magarity Ford property.

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“This street sees approximately 40 vehicles per hour on a typical weekday, 80 per hour on a Saturday. With the proposed direction, that traffic would be redirected to Willow Grove Avenue and Highland Avenue. Both have the capacity to accommodate the small increase in traffic,” Ferraro said.

The Chestnut Hill Community Association subcommittee dealing with the development is in favor of the reversal—if Bowman Properties’ other ordinances before City Council pass.

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“It functions quite well at the moment. Should the program of commercial and residential be approved, the situation will change dramatically. We are in support of the reversal of Hartwell Lane should that happen,” said John Beckman, a member of the CHCA subcommittee.

Donna Reed Miller, who introduced the bill and is a member of the Streets and Services Committee, said that this bill, along with , will be considered together for final passage.

After no objections were made to the ordinance, the bill was given a favorable recommendation out of the committee unanimously, with an amendment that the reversal will occur in Fall 2013.


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