SINKING SPRING, Pa. -- A borough in Berks County has been awarded a grant as part of a project to improve infrastructure.
U.S. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) announced in a release Tuesday the Borough of Sinking Spring has been awarded a Federal Housing and Urban Development Community Project Funding Grant.
The grant is in the amount of $1,865,624 and is for the Borough's Central Business District Infrastructure Improvement Project.
The BOSS Forward Revitalization Committee on behalf of the Borough, applied for funding through Representative Houlahan’s office in March of 2021. At that time, the Borough had assembled just over $2 Million toward a total project cost of $3,500,130. This latest grant achieves total funding.
The Borough received a final Highway Occupancy Permit (H.O.P.) from PennDOT to move forward on Phase 2 construction in January. The Borough is presently preparing to start construction at the CBD intersection of Penn/Columbia/Cacoosing Avenues within 2-3 months. The project will create a modern four-corner intersection to replace the centuries-old ‘turkey foot configuration’ that connected both Columbia and Cacoosing Avenues at austere angles and mis-aligned both.
“The Borough has an Official Map that realigns this intersection and the larger, Penn/Shillington/Mull intersection and adds a new east-west connector between Shillington and Columbia, said Merlin Weaver, BOSS Committee President. “The impact of the new configurations, when completed, will relieve the severe traffic congestion in the Borough’s central core and create a New Town Center around the east-west connector. This opens economic opportunities to redevelop over 20+ acres of CBD land currently lying fallow because of lack of access.”
The grant will also help improve the mobility for those commuting in western Berks, local residents and for petroleum products like tanker trucks at the nearby Montello Refinery.
Other benefits include improved pedestrian safety, healthier air quality, better access to public transportation and equitable multimodal services.
Phase 3, the new east-west connector is planned next.
The Borough has been awarded $2.1 Million in grants toward the construction of the new roadway.
Planning is underway along with Phase 4, the realignment of the Penn/Shillington/Mull intersection.
