Relief is one step closer for drivers who traverse Route 209 through Brodheadsville.

At Tuesday's Chestnuthill Township supervisors' meeting, the board voted 2-0 to approve Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's signal plans for the intersection at Route 209 and Route 715. Supervisor Chris Eckert was absent.PennDOT District 5 press officer Sean Brown said PennDOT only pays to have the traffic signal lights installed. The township then takes over ownership and maintenance, which is what the supervisors approved.Township Manager Dave Albright said he believes this is the last hurdle before construction and adjustments can be made to the intersection.The plan is to widen the intersection and add turning lanes, but before that can be done, the supervisors had to approve the traffic signal plans which are:A new left-turn lane with an arrow will be added to Route 209 north at the Route 715 intersection. This turning lane will begin near the William H. Kresge Funeral Home, about 160 feet from the actual intersection.There will be a right turn green arrow for Route 715 onto Route 209 South.A new small northbound lane will be added to Route 715 at the Route 209 intersection. The new northbound lane will run about 160 feet from the intersection and merge into Route 715's current northbound lane.A new left turn will be added to Route 209 South at the Route 715 intersection. This lane will allow southbound traffic to easily turn onto a street that merges into the parking lot of R.W. Altemose & Son's True Value.Pedestrians will have countdown signals and push buttons for crossing to all four corners of the intersection.Optical emergency pre-emption will be included for the signals at Route 209 and Route 715. A signal from an emitting device mounted on the emergency vehicle will end the green light for conflicting approaches to give the green light to the emergency vehicle.The wired push button in the firehouse will also be retained. This button makes the Route 715 approach green. It also sends a signal to the adjacent intersection at Route 115 to turn the Route 209 South approach green.Adjustments planned for the Route 209/115 intersection were also approved, 2-0:An emergency pre-emption fail-safe indicator light will be added to the Route 209 South approach. This lets the driver of the emergency vehicle know the signal was received and the approach is being held green.A GPS time-of-day clock will be installed in the controller to facilitate traffic signal coordination with the signal at the intersection of Route 209 and Route 715.The intersection timing will be revised.Brown said these plans are currently still in design. The opening of bids is expected for June 2014, and construction may begin in the fall with an expected date of completion in the summer of 2015.