After years of debate, the Middletown Township Council voted last week to reject a proposed loop road project in Lima, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.
The plan from 2018 moved forward five years later when Middletown Council gave the green light to construction behind the Chick-fil-A and CVS at Baltimore Pike and South Pennell Road. That year, a memorandum of understanding was issued with the Riddlewood/Sunnybrae Community Association. The township acquired three properties for roughly $1 million and demolished them.
In 2022, the total project cost was estimated at around $4 million, covered by the $2 million multimodal grant awarded by the state in 2019 and money set aside by the township.
Many residents, along with the RSCA board, recently voiced opposition to the project, citing potential damage to open space and significant impacts from the construction, particularly since PennDOT has planned improvements in the area, including road widening and added turn lanes, which would render the proposed loop road unnecessary.
“We got a situation here where our taxes are going up for a road that is not even needed,” said one resident. “PennDOT laughed at this whole loop road.”
Read more about the decision in the Daily Times.
