Union County Trail Authority Meets March 19 to Discuss Buffalo Valley Rail Trail

Three local governments have aligned behind a coordinated push to bring a safe crossing light to the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail on Route 15, with East Buffalo Township supervisors approving an agreement with Lewisburg and the Union County Trail Authority and a companion grant resolution at a public meeting earlier this week, as the Trail Authority held its regularly scheduled public session March 19 at the Union County Government Center in Lewisburg.

The work is driven by a straightforward constraint. "To put the trail crossing light in, the township and the borough are required to upgrade the three traffic signals on Route 15," Township Manager Jolene Helwig said. The adaptive signal system controlling those three intersections has not worked properly since it was installed more than a decade ago, and the upgrades are expected to deliver "a higher level of service, fewer delays and more throughput," according to Del Vecchio.

Paying for those upgrades is where the grant math gets significant. East Buffalo Township is seeking $215,846 through PennDOT's Green Light Go program, a reimbursement grant designed for municipalities improving the efficiency of existing traffic signals. The township's application carries a required 20 percent local match of $53,961. Lewisburg Borough Council previously approved its own Green Light Go applications: $511,595 with a $127,898 match for Buffalo Road, and $445,057 with a $111,264 match for St. Mary Street. Combined, the three applications total more than $1.17 million in requested funds before matching contributions.

Grants Manager Shannon Berkey noted that the agreement between the township and the Trail Authority was also placed on the agenda for a March 17 public meeting. The Trail Authority, meanwhile, is pursuing a separate funding stream for the crossing itself, applying for federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grant money through consultant McCormick Taylor, which is designing the Route 15 crossing.

The Trail Authority's 10.28-mile Buffalo Valley Rail Trail runs between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg and sits at the center of the multi-jurisdictional effort. The March 19 UCTA meeting was held in the Commissioners Board Room at 155 N. 15th St. in Lewisburg. County calendar listings showed the session scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., though a separate calendar field listed a 10:00 a.m. Eastern start time; anyone seeking confirmation on either the meeting record or future UCTA proceedings can contact the Executive Administrative Assistant at swerner@unionco.org or 570-524-3894.

Public participation in Trail Authority meetings requires in-person attendance. Anyone wishing to speak or be added to a future agenda must submit a verbal, written, or electronic request before the meeting begins, and must notify the Executive Administrative Assistant no later than the Wednesday before the meeting date.

The Union County Commissioners are scheduled to hold a Public Work Session on March 24 from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the same Commissioners Board Room. That session will be accessible via Zoom for viewing only, using Webinar ID 852 2152 6928 and passcode 720105, or by phone at +1 646 876 9923.