Ryan Hunter
Staff Writer
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Pennsy Supply began construction on Sample Bridge Road.
Silver Spring Township and other business partners are rebuilding and expanding Sample Bridge Road from the Carlisle Pike to the bridge. Pennsy Supply has wanted to expand their Silver Spring quarry for years, but the Silver Spring Township has never accepted the proposal. The township has recently agreed to allow Pennsy Supply to expand the quarry as long as Pennsy also funded the much-needed construction to Sample Bridge Road.
This construction has had a huge effect on student drivers, parents, and other Cumberland Valley employees who use this road multiple times a day to travel to and from Cumberland Valley High School, Winding Creek Elementary School, and Mountain View Middle School.
“I’ve had to leave my house earlier to get pretty much anywhere on time, and it takes about double to get to most places. I thought the road was fine before but if I knew it would take this long to build, I would much rather have had them not build it. I do think the new road will be safer though because it will be wider for cars and less potholes in the ground," senior Ava Shaffer said.
Although the new construction has created an inconvenience for anyone who makes the daily trip on Sample Bridge Road, one citizen points out a potential flaw in the construction plan.
“Sample Ridge Road definitely needed to be widened and repaired in order to accommodate the amount of traffic that it gets,” Eagle View counselor and Milfording Crossing resident Jerry Crispino said.
Residential development projects in the past ten years have lead to an increase in traffic along Sample Bridge Road, so the project satisfies a much-needed upgrade. The project does not come without concerns from Crispino and other residents.
“What concerns me is if they widen the road to the point where they take the bend out of the road, a potential speeding area can be created, which can promote unsafe driving directly out of our neighborhood. Unfortunately, poor planning has created a situation where we all must put extra miles on our vehicles, adjust our schedules, and incur gas costs over the summer that were the highest in years.”
The Sample Bridge Road construction began on June 10, 2022 and is projected to finish in October 2022.