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Wharton supervisors decline VFD’s request for township to take over part of Rt. 381

By Olivia Goudy ogoudy@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

WHARTON TWP. — Supervisors have declined a request from the local volunteer fire department to take over a quarter-mile portion of Route 381.

Representatives from the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department asked at a public hearing Monday if the township would maintain the portion from Route 40 to the fire hall as a public road. Supervisor Jack Lewis said they would draft an official letter to the department declining, after saying they “want no part of that.”

“Everyone’s passing the buck on this,” said fire department President Lloyd “Buddy” Eicher. “PennDOT doesn’t want to plow it, the township doesn’t want to plow it and we obviously can’t plow it.”

“What if there’s an emergency in the middle of winter with four feet of snow on the ground? We don’t have a plow to get us out and PennDOT won’t plow it anymore,” he continued.

The fire department is considering legal action if the matter remains unresolved.

“If we have to, then we’ll take this to court,” said Eicher. “Don’t get me wrong, the township has been great about plowing us out and helping in the past. But we simply cannot take responsibility of this bit of road.”

Eicher said that the fire department is also in communications with the Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to realign the point at which the new Route 381 would meet the old Route 381 (Elliottsville Road).

According to Eicher, PennDOT’s current plans have the new Route 381 feeding into the old Route 381 directly in front of the fire hall doors, which he said will cause congestion and take up more than half of the parking lot.

The portion that the firefighters want the township to maintain will be closed following the realignment of the intersection with Route 40.

Representatives from PennDOT displayed the project plans at an open house in the township recently to discuss the realignment of routes 40 and 381.

PennDOT District 12 project manager Gary Ferrari has said the $2.5 million project is designed to improve safety.

Currently, Route 381 meets at Route 40 beside the Pizza Hut in Farmington. If travelers want to continue to travel on Route 381, they must turn right onto Route 40, travel 200 feet, and then turn left back onto Route 381.

The south end of Route 381 will be shifted about 200 feet to align with its north end to create the new four-way intersection, which will be located at the Marathon gas station. Some driveway modifications will also be made at the Marathon.

Meanwhile, Route 40 will be widened, and a left turning lane will be established on both its east and west ends, making it easier for motorists to turn onto to Route 381. The turning lanes will be 14 feet wide, and a traffic light will also be installed, according to the plans.

“We feel that the state should still maintain it,” said Lewis. “It would not be good for us to take it on.”

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