(9/7) Road widening, street lighting and other township improvements were approved or considered by Hamiltonban supervisors at their August meeting.

Two sections of Moritz Road will not only be re-surfaced but widened as well. The township had a survey conducted on Moritz to ensure that the municipality had the proper right-of-way markings and to determine if the centerline was, in fact, in the center of the road.

In addition, portions of the road presently have a width of only 16-feet, while the rest of the township roads have a width of 20-feet. As a result, the board approved widening the 16-foot sections of the road to 20-feet and hopes to have the work commence in spring 2021, starting with laying the base-work. Following the completion of this, re-surfacing will then commence in 2022.

Some utilities may have to be relocated to facilitate the widening. Resurfacing is expected to take place in 2022. Notifications will be sent out in the fall to any property owners informing them of the township's plans, and to address any potential concerns.

Also, the supervisors will also address a looming threat posed to areas of Mount Carmel Road, adjacent to Marsh Creek. The board noted that with each major storm, the rising waters of the creek are causing concern that the storm-swollen creek could reach the roadway and potentially erode it.

In order to prevent any potential damage, the township is proposing to build a retaining wall along the threatened section of the roadway, extending below the waterline of the stream for approximately 55 feet.

An Adams County Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Grant will pay for a portion of the work, the total cost of which is estimated at $12,544. The grant would pay for an estimated $6,837 of the total cost.

Line-painting is planned for Mount Carmel as soon as wet weather lets up. The line-painting was delayed due to work that was being performed on the road. The township tries to re-paint the municipal roads annually, which includes right-of-way, centerlines, stop-bars (at intersections), school crosswalk zones, and railway crossings.

The township is also considering installing two additional streetlights in the Orrtanna Village section but has placed the subject on-hold in order to solicit comments from the potentially affected residents before giving the proposal any further consideration.

Cost would not be a factor since the utility service will install the lights and poles. Consideration of where lights may be needed are based on road safety issues.