For nearly two hours last week, Upper Milford supervisors grilled Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials about a variety of issues related to the agency's performance in the township.

Before an audience including officials from neighboring townships and representatives from the offices of U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent, R-15th, and several state representatives, the group reviewed safety and maintenance issues along Route 29/100, flooding problems at the intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Indian Creek Road and the status of the planned replacement of a bridge over the railroad tracks on Chestnut Street just south of Emmaus.

But while Upper Milford Township Supervisor Robert Sentner said of the meeting, "It's a start" in improving communications between the township and PennDOT and supervisor Chairman George DeVault said he's "glad to see us working together," they concluded the biggest issue is one that can't be easily resolved, the ever-increasing volume of traffic through the township.

Regarding Route 100, PennDOT District Traffic Engineer Dennis Toomey said PennDOT's statistics do not support Sentner's declaration the Beck Road intersection is the worst in the township for traffic accidents.

"In the last three years there've been four major rollovers," Sentner said, contending vehicles travel Route 100 at high speeds and the sight distance for traffic entering the highway from Beck Road is limited.

"I don't see a remarkable crash history here," Toomey responded.

However, he said PennDOT is planning to install enhanced safety signage both there and at the Mill Road intersection, where PennDOT records show more accidents. In fact, Toomey said, they'll be improving the signage all along that corridor.

"It seems like the entire stretch is getting problematic," Sentner said, citing studies showing 19,000 vehicles daily along that road.

He said Lehigh County is creating its own hardships by allowing increased development leading to more traffic.

Toomey suggested the Southwest Lehigh County Comprehensive Plan Committee approach the Lehigh County Transportation Study Committee to seek ways of curbing traffic.

DeVault mentioned drainage problems at the Beck Road intersection which made traveling particularly hazardous this past winter.

Charles Sincavage of PennDOT said a remediation project had begun last fall, but they were unable to complete it once winter hit. Bobby Azar of PennDOT said the shoulder of the road has to be upgraded to prevent water from the adjacent field from running onto the roadway.

To emphasize the burden placed on the township by icing and lack of adequate snow clearing on Route 100, DeVault read a letter from the Western District Fire Company noting the company logged more than 50 hours responding to calls as a result of bad road conditions.

"At the same time we're overloading our roads, we're burning out our volunteers," he said.

Sentner said the level of plowing on state roads has gone down in the last couple of years and asked whether PennDOT drivers communicate with the subcontractors it employs to plow. Sincavage said they do.

Jill Krause of PennDOT said they systematically try to improve daylight on sections of roads that historically are a problem because shadows keep the snow from melting. "Keep in mind, it was a tough winter," Krause said.

Turning to the Indian Creek Road/Cedar Crest Boulevard intersection, DeVault said a combination of flooding, a steep grade and increased traffic create persistent problems.

Toomey said a recent traffic study showed no collisions related to vehicles trying to pull out onto Cedar Crest, although there were some rear-end crashes on northbound Cedar Crest caused by people attempting to turn left onto Indian Creek.

They discussed alternatives if that section of Indian Creek were closed, with Toomey saying there are not good alternatives. They agreed Allen Street may be a possibility after a traffic light is installed at Allen and Chestnut streets, as proposed by developers of the Fields at Indian Creek age-restricted community.

Toomey said PennDOT's only recommendation for the area would be to prohibit trucks except for local deliveries on the section of Indian Creek Road between Allen Street and Cedar Crest Boulevard.

Regarding the frequent flooding at the lower end of Indian Creek, Sincavage acknowledged it is one of three or four bad areas in Lehigh County, with PennDOT ready to come out to close the road whenever there is heavy rain.

Sentner said he still feels the best solution would be to permanently close that section of Indian Creek.

Another bone of contention the township has had with PennDOT has been problems caused by rerouting truck traffic from Chestnut Street onto St. Peter's Road at Shimerville because of weight restrictions on a bridge farther south on Route 100. The concern should be easily resolved, Toomey said, because the bridge is no longer restricted.

The long-proposed new bridge over the railroad tracks just south of Emmaus is still in the preliminary design stage, Toomey said. There have been studies and there is now a conceptual design, but officials do not want a tentative plan to become public prematurely.

The project might entail putting a left turn lane at Allen Street on northbound Chestnut Street south of the proposed bridge. Toomey assured supervisors there will be public hearings once the project is further along.

Krause said work is scheduled to begin in December 2017, but PennDOT hopes to move up the start date. Krause gave supervisors the number of the individual in charge of the design phase for more information.

Sentner complained, up to now, the township has "been completely in the dark" about the plans.

When a representative of Congressman Dent's office asked "what would you like us [elected officials' representatives] to take back to our bosses," DeVault suggested they take the meeting agenda and a township map to show where problems are.

Sentner suggested someone from Dent's office and/or PennDOT attend the next meeting of the comprehensive plan committee to learn firsthand of the problems caused by ever-increasing traffic volume.

"It's out of control," he said.