West Penn Township has received a grant of more than $100,000 to reconstruct a dicey roadway known for its substantial tanker truck volume.

Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Tony Prudenti announced at Monday morning’s board of supervisors meeting that the township has received a $101,811 grant to rebuild Fort Franklin Road.

Prudenti thanked township roadmaster Singleton Harvey, along with road foreman Jeremy Frable, for helping the township obtain the grant from the Schuylkill County Soil Conservation District.

Prudenti previously said the township annually applies for grants to the Schuylkill County Soil Conservation District for dirt road grants for roads that have an area of the road that runs off into a stream or tributary.

Supervisors said the work will be done next year, and will rebuild the road from the top all the way down.

In August, supervisors on a 2-1 vote rejected a proposal submitted by property owner David Knoedler of Ringgold Acquisition Group II to relocate Fort Franklin Road. Supervisor Ted Bogosh was in favor of the concept.

Prudenti said at that time that Knoedler wanted to change the road to go onto the other side of a barn that he owns, and wanted to relocate the road.

Both Supervisor Tim Houser, along with township engineer Bill Anders, said they didn’t see any benefit to relocating the road.

Anders previously said if the proposed road was to be considered, the applicant should be required to submit a Land Development Plan to be reviewed by supervisors and the township planning commission; the road construction should meet all requirements of the SALDO ordinance for the development of the proposed road as typically required for a subdivision, while this proposal depicts a gravel road; the applicant’s proposal doesn’t include the purpose for the relocation and what benefit to the township the proposed relocation would provide.

Anders said that during discussion and site inspection with Harvey, it was determined existing stormwater control will be impacted; existing property owners using Fort Franklin Road should be contacted for input on the proposed relocation; and it appears the proposed relocation benefit would be to remove traffic from traveling in front of the Knoedler residence.

Harvey said he agreed, and added the township would try to get grant money for all the way up to the top of the mountain.

Prudenti said he appreciated Knoedler making the offer to pay to fix the road.

Bogosh said he believes it would make it safer.

In June, Allison and Phillip McArdle voiced their uneasiness with tanker traffic safety along Blue Mountain Drive and Route 309.

Phillip said at that time it’s uncomfortable to watch the tanker attempts to pull out onto 309 from Blue Mountain Drive, and that while there aren’t deaths or crashes that occur on a daily basis, it can be dicey.

In May, Allison told supervisors she could see a difference in tanker trucks’ speed along Blue Mountain Drive.

She said she spoke to Bryan Miller, president of Bryan Miller Trucking Inc. of Andreas, and that they’ve since been respectful.

Prudenti wants to negotiate a water extraction and road agreement with Land, and suggested that at Land’s expense, he run a pipeline out onto a state road.