NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — A major intersection in Schnecksville soon will become a traffic circle.
King’s Real Estate Management & Development Company is building King’s Route 309 Business Park, a commercial development on 12 acres at Schneck Road and Route 309.
The development will have a Wawa with gas pumps, an AutoZone, a medical office building and a commercial building.
It also would replace the intersection of Routes 309 and 873 with a two-lane traffic circle.
The company is in the final stages of the permitting process with the state Transportation Department, King’s Real Estate Vice President of Legal Affairs Jerry Blecker said.
It plans to start construction on the traffic circle before the end of the year, Blecker said.
North Whitehall Board of Supervisors approved the preliminary/final plan for the development at its April 1 meeting. The project needs no other township approvals.
Construction timeline
Construction will begin with the traffic circle, Blecker said. King’s Real Estate then will build the “pads,” or the foundations, of the commercial real estate area.
The company then would turn over the land to tenants so they could begin construction by the middle of next year.
Blecker initially estimated he would break ground by September. He said there was no specific reason for the delay; the process just takes a long time.
“It's a very extensive program,” Blecker said. “When we started this with PennDOT a year and a half ago, we knew it was going to take quite a bit of work.”
Blecker said King’s Real Estate will have to temporarily take land from some people bordering the development while constructing the roundabout.
“Everyone has been extremely cooperative,” Blecker said.
Grant money
State Sen. Jarrett Coleman recently announced King’s Real Estate received an almost-$2.1 million grant from the state Multimodal Transportation Fund to install the roundabout.
In a news release, Coleman said the developer will install safe pedestrian connections and sidewalks. He described that section of the road as “accident-prone.”
“I'm optimistic that these changes will positively impact the residents and resolve a long-standing issue in the community."State Sen. Jarrett Coleman
"This intersection has been a decades-long concern," Coleman said. "Using state dollars to construct a roundabout and make pedestrian-friendly enhancements will improve overall safety and traffic flow.
“I'm optimistic that these changes will positively impact the residents and resolve a long-standing issue in the community."
According to the news release, King's Real Estate received its full request for grants from both the Multimodal Transportation Fund and the state Department of Community & Economic Development.
