$2.3 million earmarked for road improvements in Antrim Township
Shawn HardyA developer has received a state grant for more than $2.3 million to help fund road improvements in the State Line area of Antrim Township.
The $2,378,050 grant to 2017 Greenmount Road, LLC, from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Multimodal Transportation Fund Program was announced April 16. It is one of 43 grants made across the state and the only one in Franklin County.
PennDOT evaluates multimodal transportation grant applications on criteria such as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability, according to state Sen. Judy Ward and state Rep. Paul Schemel. The Republicans, whose districts include Antrim Township, announced the grant in a joint news release.
On the roads
The grant will support 2017 Greenmount Road in more than $4 million in work on Greenmount and Mason Dixon roads, as well as the access to Interstate 81 Exit 1 at State Line, according to a news release from GMS Funding Solutions on behalf of the developer.
2017 Greenmount Road is taking a phased approach to the development of two parcels totaling approximately 110 acres along Greenmount and Mason Dixon roads.
Phase I is for construction of nearly 1 million square feet of warehouse space, while Phase II will include an additional 400,000 square feet of logistics uses.
Ward and Schemel, who supported the application for the funding, commended 2017 Greenmount Road and Antrim Township for their proactive approach to improving the transportation network in this area while planning for future growth.
“These much-needed infrastructure improvement projects will benefit the region through improved access to Interstate 81 for employers and the creation of more than 280 family-sustaining jobs,” Ward said in a news release. “This grant is a strategic investment of state funding that will not only contribute to our local economy, but also improve the quality of life for those who live here by diverting heavy truck traffic away from residential areas.”
"This area of Antrim Township has in recent years been a very desirable place to develop commercial and industrial projects,” Schemel said. “Improving the flow of traffic around this interchange is important not only for the commercial vehicles, but also for the residents of Franklin and Washington counties who are trying to commute or access stores and services.”
Greenmount Road runs about a mile between Hykes Road at the north and Mason Dixon Road at the south. The property being development is toward the south end, where the roads intersect at an angle at the bottom of a small hill. The plan includes moving the intersection to the top of the hill and straightening it out to improve visibility, according to Brad Graham, Antrim Township administrator. Greenmount Road will be widened and there also will be work at the intersection of Mason Dixon Road and U.S. 11, Graham said.
“We are pleased to hear of the grant award. This project is extremely important not only to address existing conditions at I-81 at Exit 1, but also to alleviate the tremendous pressure at I-81 Exit 3. Additionally, removing the industrial truck traffic from the residential area of Hykes Road will have a direct and immediate benefit to the township’s residents," Graham said.
The area around Exit 3 has seen significant growth, mainly in warehousing and logistics, in recent years and there is significant development potential in the I-81 Exit 1 area.
“I would like to thank Sen. Ward and Rep. Schemel for their continuous support of the project. Without their dedicated advocacy, projects like this one would not be realized. We sincerely appreciate and value Antrim Township’s public-private partnership on this project," said Brad Fulton, who represents 2017 Greenmount Road.
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Sewer line extension
The proposed transportation improvements coincide with sewer infrastructure improvements, for which the Antrim Township Municipal Authority received grant funding in August 2020. ATMA was awarded $375,942, which will be used by 2017 Greenmount Road to extend a sewer line in the area.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded the grant from its PA Small Water and Sewer Program for the Greenmount Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure Collection System Expansion. It supports the installation of 5,785 linear feet of sanitary sewer force main along Greenmount Road to provide sewer service to the tracts in the township’s industrial zone.
"The extension will allow for future collection system expansion and will ultimately support additional development in this prime industrial growth area," according to a news release issued at the time.
ATMA approved the grant application and will administer the funds, but the work will be done by the developer, according to Graham.