South Strabane supervisors seek $500,000 grant for Berry Road improvements
Jon Andreassi
South Strabane Township supervisors are seeking $500,000 in local share account (LSA) funds to make improvements to the intersection of Berry and Manifold roads.
The board unanimously voted to approve the application at their meeting Tuesday. The township intends to change the junction of the roads to a T-shaped intersection. The $1 million project would require another $500,000 in matching funds from South Strabane.
This is one of many recommendations the township received after commissioning a study on how officials could improve safety on Berry Road.
That study found there had been 50 crashes on Berry Road between 2019 and 2024, one of which was fatal while nine were single-vehicle accidents.
Though he voted to approve the application, Supervisor Jeff Bull expressed concerns about how the township would come up with the matching funds.
“This needs done. We’ve done the studies. It’s a safety hazard. It has been that way for 100 years,” Bull said at Tuesday’s meeting, adding that he did not not believe the township had the money for the 50/50 match.
Jordan Cramer, the township fire chief and interim township manager, replied that South Strabane would have three years to spend the LSA money if the application were approved.
In a phone call Wednesday, Bull suggested that the township would need to apply for more grants to come up with the match for the LSA funding.
He said the proposed changes would be “a major, total upgrade of that intersection.”
“I really wasn’t in favor of it, but it does need done,” Bull said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors unanimously approved preliminary land development for the Meadows Landing housing plan that would be located behind Landings Drive off of Route 19.
The township planning commission recommended supervisors vote to approve at their meeting earlier this month.
Developer MLD Meadows Landing LLC plans call for 401 residential homes, including 170 single-family homes, 90 duplexes and 141 townhouses.
The supervisors still need to approve final land development before the project can move ahead. Representatives of the developer suggested it would be at least two months before they were ready to bring their final plans before the board.