Whitemarsh, Philadelphia Residents Clash over Hagys Mill Road

Whitemarsh residents traded comments with their Philadelphia neighbors at the township’s Board of Supervisor meeting Thursday night regarding access to Hagys Mill Road, a thoroughfare that the township shares with the city.

Here’s an explanation of how one road caused over an hour and a half of discussion between the Whitemarsh and Philadelphia residents.

The Lasting Impact of Irene:

The entire dispute surrounding Hagys Mill Road began in August when Hurricane Irene washed away a section of Manor Road in the township.  The township responded by closing the road between River Road and Ridge Pike and opening a security gate on Hagys Mill Road to give the area’s resident’s more access to and from the township.

“Due to the roadway collapse and limited traffic in the area, a gate going from Hagys Mill Road into Philadelphia was opened,” Whitemarsh supervisor Bob Hart said. “[Opening the road] has facilitated a strong response.”

The road has been open to commuters between the city and the township since August, but with increased traffic and the coming winter season, there is a possibility that the gate will go down again and residents in the area will once again have limited avenues to travel from their homes into the surrounding areas.

A Public Safety Concern:

Though the Supervisors took no action at their December 8 meeting, if they listen to the council of Police Chief Mike Beatty, whose comments, Hart said, the board would take under advisement, the gate might come back down.

“I understand that it is an inconvenience to the residents, but looking at it from a public safety stance, my concern is that Hagys Road in our area is not conducive to commuter traffic,” Beatty said.”

Beatty’s concerns, as he outlined them, have a lot to do with the condition of the road and the coming winter season. According to the chief, the road, besides having potholes and semi-blind curves on both its Philadelphia and Whitemarsh sides, features a steep hill that would be both hard to see and hard to stop at for cars going above the speed limit. Beatty said that adding snow and ice into the mix would add additional danger for drivers and those who live in the area.

Even beyond that, however, Beatty said he doesn’t think the road is necessarily fit for increased public use.

“If word gets around and people start accessing that road, or if it were to be used as a commuter or cut road [full time], I could see a real potential for serious incidents,” he said. “Improvements need to be made for the public to traverse on that road. We have more traffic on there and I really fear there is going to be an incident down there.”

According to the township officials, the Hagys Mill Road meets the township’s minimum requirements for roads to be used by travelers.

What to Do:

While not every member of the audience chose to speak at the meeting, those who did either fell into two groups: Whitemarsh residents who didn’t want the gate closed and Philadelphia residents who called for its closing.

“I don’t think any of the residents wanted it open on a permanent basis, just until Manor Road was repaired, Jean Farlino, a Whitemarsh resident said at the meeting.  We have been talking about Manor Road for years, just to say eventually we’re fixing the road is really not enough.”

Another resident suggested increased police patrol in the area as a means of addressing the safety concerns, as opposed to asking residents in the area to take nearby Harts Lane as a thoroughfare.

“Harts lane is … curvy, winding [and] dangerous,” he said. “What’s the greater hard, to keep that gate open until Manor Road can be repaired or making citizens take Harts Lane?”

Philadelphia resident Abby Ruter spoke in favor of closing the road due to safety concerns.

“My house is 15 feet from Hagys Mill Road and it has no proper drainage on it,” she said. “There are three feet of water like a lake at the bottom of the road. This is not the kind of road you need or want a lot to have a lot of traffic on.”

For now, the gate stays open while the township does some research into the issue and tried to come up with a solution to both the availability and safety issues.

“There will be a dialog and we will come up with the best legal solution for both groups of people,” Hart said. “The road will stay open for now and there will be discussion about how to resolve this.”