Local News

$1.5M sidewalk project moves into design phase

Electric Avenue, Highland Park improvements expected in winter 2027

Sierra Bolger

LEWISTOWN -- Sidewalks will soon line the road along Electric Avenue and Highland Park as committee members prepare to meet to begin the design process.

The approximately $1.6 million project includes installing six-foot-wide bicycle lanes, five-foot-wide sidewalks, crosswalks and entrance signage for businesses along the corridor. Improvements will extend along the east side of Electric Avenue from Ort Valley Road to Derry Park Drive.

Mifflin County Planning Director Jim Lettiere said the transportation advisor committee has begun work under the county’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. The grant is intended to improve safety for pedestrians and other nonmotorized road users while reducing traffic fatalities.

Lettiere said that the county will receive $1,489,740 through PennDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program for the Electric Avenue/Highland Park Safe Routes to School Project.

“The goal is to create a balanced transportation system using systemic and data-driven solutions,” Lettiere said.

As part of the planning process, the county is analyzing crash data and gathering public input through a community survey that includes Wiki-mapping, an online tool allowing residents to identify areas of concern and provide comments on a countywide map. The committee will also review information gathered through public meetings and discussions with municipal roadmasters.

Lettiere said county officials will meet with PennDOT and project engineers on Tuesday to discuss the design schedule and begin planning a public open house for residents and businesses along the project corridor.

Construction is expected to be completed in the winter of 2027.

In other business, Lettiere updated committee members on a proposed solar energy development in Wayne Township submitted by M and J Land Acquisitions.

The proposal calls for the development of a previously approved 21.48-acre parcel south of Lucy Furnace Road into a solar energy facility containing approximately 5,900 solar panels. According to the plan, the site is primarily wooded with open fields and contains no existing structures.

Lettiere said Wayne Township does not have its own subdivision and land development ordinance, leaving review and approval authority with the Mifflin County Planning Commission. Township officials may submit comments but cannot approve or deny the project.

He said both the county and township are working together to develop a stand-alone solar ordinance because the county’s current subdivision and land development ordinance contains only limited provisions related to solar energy development.

The Planning Commission conditionally approved the project in April. Revised plans were submitted June 30, and the applicant must satisfy several engineering and administrative conditions before final approval.

Among those requirements are written verification from the county engineer that previously identified comments have been addressed, a post-construction site inspection of roadway improvements and assigning a name and address to the facility for emergency response purposes.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement, the applicant has until Feb. 24, 2027, to satisfy the conditions. If they are not met, the application will be automatically denied.