The speed limit along a stretch of road in West Penn Township will be reduced.

Supervisors on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution to lower the speed limit to 25 mph on the section of Fort Franklin Drive between Blue Mountain Drive and the Schuylkill County line.

In June, supervisors dropped the speed limit to 25 mph on Zions Stone Church Road.

That came after township solicitor Paul J. Datte in May cited a study that was conducted in 2001.

Datte said the vehicle code permits the establishment of a 25 mph speed limit in a residential district if the road is not a numbered traffic route (Zions Stone Church Road is not a numbered traffic route) and is functionally classified by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

He said the entire length of Zions Stone Church Road could be classified as a residential district, and a 25 mph speed limit could be established.

A resolution was needed to establish a residential district.

How to slow drivers down on Zions Stone Church Road has been an issue for several years.

In April 2019, resident Gary Steigerwalt told the board he’d like to see the speed reduced on Route 895.

Datte said at that time there were two possibilities: If the homes are along a significant stretch, then the township is permitted to declare it a residential district; other than that, he said the township would need to conduct an engineering study.

Supervisor Tim Houser said then that he agreed with Steigerwalt that the speed limits on township roads should not be 55 mph.

The board announced earlier that month that a traffic study must be conducted in order for the speed limit to be reduced along Route 895.

Supervisors said the township had received a response from the state Department of Transportation that the township would have to conduct a traffic study for Route 895 and Summer Valley Road.

That issue was with regard to a request by Nicole Bailey, who asked supervisors in May 2020 to have the speed limit reduced along that portion of 895.

The township had to tell PennDOT what speed it would like to see it reduced to.

Township secretary Katie Orlick previously said she requested 45 mph and a no passing zone from Route 309 to Dorset Road.

PennDOT said that speed limits are typically established based on recent crash history, as well as the 85th percentile speed, which is the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists are driving under normal roadway conditions during daylight hours.

West End News