Girl Scout Troop #91 of Harleysville started ofF Tuesday's monthly meeting of the Upper Salford Board of Supervisors with the Pledge of Allegiance. A moment of silence followed in remembrance of Veterans Day.

            Bridge construction on Sumneytown Pike (Route 63) over the Unami and Ridge creeks was a topic of conversation among the residents and the board. Officials announced that the completion date has been pushed back to January of 2020.

            Due to heavy traffic on the Perkiomenville Road detour to Woxall, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be repairing damage to the roads caused by the bridge construction. On Wednesday afternoon, a township employee described the delay as having to do with utilities, but could not provide further details.

            However a spokesperson from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provided a different time frame. In an email received Wednesday, Chelsea Lacey-Mabe wrote that both bridges remain on schedule to be reopened in December (weather permitting) based on the last construction update meeting held last week. Bill Bushnell, the district chief of staff for state Rep. Marcy Toepel, R, 147th Dist., confirmed PennDOT's timeline.

            It was discovered that the bridge on the east branch of the Perkiomen, also under construction, has developed a crack in the head wall. The engineers on the project are inspecting and evaluating it on a regular basis. There have been no changes in the quality of the crack and PennDOT will continue to monitor the situation.

            Other state projects discussed were the roundabout on Old Skippack Road and new traffic signal at Barndt Road.

            The new traffic light at State Road 63 and Barndt Road will include LED signal heads, vehicular video and radar detection equipment. In addition, the widening of Rt. 63 will provide adequate shoulder width at the intersection.

            A regional study done by PennDOT selected the intersection Old Skippack Road, Shelly Road, and Schwenksville Road to install a federally funded roundabout to decrease the number of vehicle related accidents. It is estimated that the roundabout will reduce the chance of vehicular accidents by 80 percent.

            The Supervisors informed residents that the projects are underway and PennDOT updates the township about the progress of the projects regularly.

            Supervisor Ted Poatsy, Jr. announced that the township is in the 2020 budget process. The proposed budget will be reviewed and refined in November and officials will vote on it during December's monthly meeting. It will be available for public view in December.  

            It was announced that the township was awarded a grant for open space and recreational enhancement. State Representative Marcy Toepel, called the township office to inform them of the good news. Upper Salford was awarded $308,000. The most recent grant, provided by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, will be utilized to connect Upper Salford Park, Spring Mountain and the Perkiomen Trail. This will create a park to Perkiomen Trail connector.

            Upper Salford was awarded various grants through the state for preserving and utilizing open space for community enrichment.  

            They have received grants from MONTCO 2040, PECO Green Region, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Community and Economic Development. The grants received by the township will be used by the township to beautify, preserve and provide recreational areas for residents.