Officials Meet to Lay Groundwork for New Falls Road Sidewalks

, a victim of hit-and-run accident on New Falls Rd, created a groundswell of support for the installation of safe walkways along New Falls Road in Middletown and Bristol townships.

The outcry led to a meeting coordinated by state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson (R-6) on Thursday at the senator's offices in Langhorne.

Attending were state Rep. Tina Davis’ (D -141) Chief of Staff Bryan Allen, Bristol Township Manager Bill McCauley, Middletown Township’s Director of Parks and Recreation Debby Lemanna and PennDOT Bucks County Maintenance Manager Calvin Morrison.

Al Sutter, chief of staff for Tomlinson, characterized the meeting as productive saying there are a number of elements that need to come together for such a project, but the “nuts and bolts” were discussed and progress was made during meeting.

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Specifically, PennDOT has verbally agreed to waive its right-of-way privilege in order for each to township to begin any work future, however, Sutter said, we have some ways to go before we get to that point.  

Issues such as cost, getting input from local businesses and approval of each township, Sutter pointed out are the next set of hurdles to be negotiated.

Lemanna told Patch via phone that Middletown supports the vision of safety for pedestrians and drivers but there are a number of steps still yet to be completed before any further action could be taken. Saying that the alliance now working together is critical to making such a project happen, engineers will now have to discuss the practical challenges involved for each township.  

Rearick, whose petition now has approximately 2600 endorsers, said, “I’m happy progress is being made. This isn’t about my son anymore, it’s about the safety of the community, that’s why this needs to get done. I won’t stop till that happens, the communities safety is at risk.”

Officials for PennDOT and Bristol Township were not available for comment, but Bristol Township Manager William McCauley III supports sidewalks for the highway, which he indicated in a letter he sent to PennDOT last month that Patch has obtained.

The coalition of officials will meet again once all they have gathered all the information from the respective municipalities to discuss the next steps in the process.

For more information about the “Sidewalks for New Falls Road, Levittown PA, Honoring John Rearick by Making a Difference," click here. 

Related:

Mother of Son Killed on New Falls Road Wants Action