At the April 2 Hanover Township Council meeting, Township Manager Sandra Pudliner provided additional information about the FedEx hub proposal making its way through the Allen Township approval process.

The international shipping company has proposed the construction of a large warehouse hub in neighboring Allen Township which is expected to draw heavy traffic into the area, especially on Route 22, Airport Road, Race Street and Willow Brook Road, all of which pass through Hanover Township. The proposal is currently being reviewed by the Allen Township Planning Commission.

According to Pudliner, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission called a meeting of all municipalities around the proposed hub.

"There was no agenda," said Pudliner in response to Councilman Bob Heimbecker. "The meeting was to notify everyone that the planning commission met with the [Lehigh Valley International] Airport about the project," she said.

According to Pudliner, there is a $60-million grant proposed for road improvements to handle the anticipated traffic increase, but there is no formal funding commitment.

"Hanover Township Northampton is interested in airport land within their municipal boundaries," she said. Land in Hanover Township Lehigh County is dedicated to airport expansion, although the township did ask for the land to be released temporarily for commercial uses.

The planning commission contends all improvements for the FedEx hub will be completed in seven years, including improvements to Route 22. Local road expansion would be completed in four years.

Heimbecker said he remains skeptical about the planning commission time lines even though the commission expects engineering studies to be completed in 2014.

Township Engineer Frederick Hay said plans for Route 22 call for a new bridge parallel to and south of the existing structure, across the Lehigh River.

Heimbecker asked if it seemed feasible to complete construction of the bridge in the time frame cited by the planning commission. Hay did not think the time schedule was realistic.

Heimbecker noted future proposed plans include a second runway parralle to the existing runway..

"This verifies our fears that this [FedEx hub] is more than just a ground hub," he said. "They intend to turn it into a mega complex like Memphis."

Hay included in the minutes the details of the traffic study conducted by Keystone Consulting Traffic Engineer Keith Lawler. According to Lawler's study, traffic on Route 22 is rated as a D and the additional traffic added to Route 22 would not change the level of service.

Hay noted the township asked the developer for more data on traffic, particularly ramp loading, along with information on how future maintenance costs will be handled, but those concerns have not been addressed.

He speculated westbound traffic would use a double ramp to Route 22 off Airport Road.

"I anticipate that it will be two lanes that merge into one," he said. Eastbound traffic would enter Route 22 off Schoenersville Road with a similar ramp configuration.

In a separate meeting, Township Solicitor Jackson Eaton and Hay met with representatives of the Rockefeller Group who will develop the FedEx Hub and the surrounding acreage. According to Eaton, the developer seems confident the project will move forward and asked for the township's cooperation. The developer is interested in meeting sewer demands by connecting to the main sewer interceptor at Willowbrook and Race streets.

According to Eaton, there are requests from the developer for dedicated truck access routes, which would need township approval. Heimbecker asked what would happen if the township refused to grant truck access. Speculation is the state would take over Willowbrook Road and eliminate the jurisdiction problem. Eaton indicated cooperating with the developer would assure some level of local control.