The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation apparently will not approve a traffic signal sought by Salisbury Township officials at an intersection near a proposed east side town house development.

“PennDOT has not approved a signal,” Stan G. Wojciechowski, department head, Municipal Engineering Services, Barry Isett & Associates, Inc., township consulting engineering firm, said of the Gaskill Avenue and East Emmaus Avenue intersection, before a vote on the project.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners voted 4-0, with one commissioner absent at the March 27 meeting, to accept a time extension to July 31 for the Vistas at South Mountain Preliminary-Final Land Development Plan.

Township board of commissioners Vice Chairman Rodney Conn, made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Heather Lipkin, to bring the motion to a vote.

Vistas at South Mountain is a development of 88 town houses and one single-family detached dwelling on approximately 48.5 acres in the vicinity of East Emmaus Avenue, Gaskill Avenue and Honeysuckle Road.

Salisbury Elementary School is at 1400 S. Gaskill Ave.

“We can make that a school zone. That will reduce the speed during school hours,” Salisbury Township Chief of Police Donald Sabo said before the vote.

“They are doing an overhead sign on a mast over the cartway,” Wojciechowski said before the vote.

A mast-arm mounted flashing warning device and a pole-mounted flashing warning device would be an activated system with the mast arm out over the road. Diagrams of the device were projected on video screens at the Jan. 22 planners’ meeting.

“I really thought PennDOT would provide a signal,” board of commissioners President Debra J. Brinton said before the vote.

The impact of the proposed town house development on the safety of Salisbury Township School District students at the East Emmaus Avenue and Gaskill Avenue intersection was raised by members of the Salisbury Township Planning Commission.

“Our main concern is that we have school traffic,” Planning commission Chairman Richard Schreiter said at the Jan. 22 planners’ meeting.

Salisbury planners voted 6-0 at the Jan. 22 meeting to table Vistas at South Mountain proposed for the township’s east side.

Several planners at the meeting said they favor a traffic light signal at East Emmaus Avenue and Gaskill Avenue. There is a stop sign on Gaskill Avenue at East Emmaus Avenue. There is a stop sign on Honeysuckle Road at East Emmaus Avenue.

“This is our problem, the major issue for this project,” Schreiter said of school student safety.

Sabo, in his report to commissioners at the Jan. 23 township meeting, said he met with representatives of PennDOT and other agencies concerning student safety at the East Emmaus Avenue and Gaskill Avenue intersection, and at the East Emmaus Avenue and South Dauphin Street intersection.

Salisbury High School is at 500 E. Montgomery St. The sign for the high school is on the northeast corner of South Dauphin Street at East Emmaus Avenue.

“We talked with Chief Sabo. He said that intersection [East Emmaus and Gaskill] has a lot of accidents,” Wojciechowski said at the Jan. 22 planners’ meeting.

PennDOT requires a warrant system before approving a traffic light on a state road. East Emmaus Avenue is a state jurisdiction highway.

The PennDOT warrant system is a set of guidelines to determine when to install signs or traffic devices. According to a PennDOT website, warrants for traffic signals consider factors such as pedestrian volume, crash experience, peak hour traffic, school crossings and coordinated signal systems. Warrants are used in conjunction with professional judgment and local knowledge.

In other business at the March 27 meeting, commissioners voted 4-0 for motions:

- Authorizing the awarding of a public works’ bulldozer bid to be purchased jointly with South Whitehall Township.

Use of the bulldozer will be shared by Salisbury Township and South Whitehall Township.

One bid of $149,500 was received for the bulldozer.

Conn made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Alok Patnaik.

“This is something that we will share and share in the cost. I think it’s great that we are doing this,” Brinton said before the vote.

- Approving Payment No. 2 of $212,274.76, including Change Order No. 2 for a $4,904.76 contract price increase, to Wexcon, Inc. for the 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project.

Patnaik made the motion, seconded by Conn.

“Wexcon has finished the work,” Wojciechowski said before the vote.

- Approving an Intermunicipal Agreement with the Borough of Emmaus regarding utility connections for properties at 407 and 412 Mountain Blvd.

Lipkin made the motion, seconded by Patnaik.

“We have two properties in the township that were connected to the Emmaus system,” Attorney John F. “Jack” Gross, managing partner at Gross McGinley, LLP, township solicitor firm, said before the vote.

“We have several customers in the township who are tied into Emmaus and Allentown,” Salisbury Township Director, Public Works Department, Jim Levernier, said before the vote.

- Appointing Alex Arruda as a 4th Ward representative to the Environmental Advisory Committee. Conn made the motion, seconded by Lipkin.

Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the resolutions:

- Disposition of township records in the public works, police, administration, tax collection and finance departments. There are 71 boxes that are 16 inches by 72 inches, 13 boxes that are 12 inches by 9 inches and five boxes that are 16 inches by 24 inches.

Conn made the motion, seconded by Patnaik.

“It’s been awhile so we have quite a lot,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said before the vote.

- Authorizing acceptance of the deed of dedication for a portion of land east of Potomac Street on the south side of East Paoli Street as enunciated in the deed for a minor subdivision, 900 E. Paoli St.

The Salisbury Township Planning Commissions approved the minor subdivision of LTD Renovations, LLC. The developer is dedicating the land.

Patnaik made the motion, seconded by Conn.

“It’s about 900 feet,” Wojciechowski said before the vote.

- Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve an ordinance to vacate a portion of Nottingham Road between Yorkshire Road and a cul-de-sac.

The township received a petition Sept. 27, 2024, from Robert J. and Kristen N. Bennett and the Doto Joseph B Jr. and Paula T. Revocable Living Trust, Joseph Doto B. Doto and Paula T. Doto, trustees.

The portion was utilized as a township street. It will be removed from township maps and records.

A public hearing was held Dec. 12, 2024.

Lipkin made the motion, seconded by Patnaik.

Salisbury Township meetings in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave., include: 7 p.m. April 9, zoning hearing board; 7 p.m. April 10, board of commissioners; 7 p.m. April 16, environmental advisory council; 7 p.m. April 23, planning commission and 7 p.m. April 24, board of commissioners.