A grant that will be used to pay for a conceptual streetscape plan for a section of Brunswick Pike, between Whitehead Road and the Brunswick Circle, has been approved, according to Lawrence Township officials.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission approved the $60,000 grant under its Transportation and Community Development Initiative program, municipal officials said.
The streetscape plan will include landscaping, hardscape and gateway elements for Brunswick Pike that acknowledge the historic transportation corridor which linked New York City and Philadelphia. Brunswick Pike is also known as Alternate U.S. Route 1.
While the grant will cover the costs of designing the streetscape improvement plan, it will not pay for the costs to install the landscaping and other improvements.
Township officials said the streetscape project will help link the residential and commercial uses along Brunswick Pike. The goal is to make the Brunswick Pike corridor more pedestrian friendly, especially for senior citizens who live in the Heritage Village at Lawrence apartment building on Brunswick Pike.
Municipal officials also hope the streetscape project will spur economic development, including commercial development. The grant, along with funding from the township, will make an important contribution to the revitalization of the area, they said.
Lawrence Township officials have been focused on redeveloping Brunswick Pike between Whitehead Road and the Brunswick Circle for more than 20 years, beginning with a Master Plan amendment in 1995 to designate the area as a redevelopment zone.
Roadwork design plans for Brunswick Pike were completed by the state Department of Transportation (DOT) in 2015. The DOT has jurisdiction of Brunswick Pike.
The DOT moved ahead with the construction of the Whitehead Road roundabout and also constructed a grass median between the roundabout and the Brunswick Circle. Brunswick Pike continues to have two lanes of travel in each direction.
Once the Brunswick Pike project has been completed, the DOT will turn over control of that section of Brunswick Pike to Lawrence Township.