Square Project History

The 1997 Square Project culminated nearly 20 years of discussions, studies, and efforts to improve traffic safety and pedestrian amenities at the center of town. Discussions about installing traffic signals at the Square dated back to 1950 Borough Council meetings. In 1979, a Borough Planning Commission study recommended a traffic signal, and that recommendation was presented as a question on the 1981 May Primary Ballot, where an overwhelming majority of voters did not favor it. A 1985 traffic study by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission again recommended a traffic light at the Square. After a 1988 Downtown Revitalization Study, Borough Council in 1990 authorized another traffic signal proposal, which once again received little support. A regional Route 322 Corridor Study completed in 1993 also called for a traffic signal at the Square in Hummelstown. During 1993-94, Borough Council continued planning improvements and authorized funding for the Square Improvement Project. In 1995, after a fatal accident at the median crossing of Route 322 at Hummelstown’s west end, the local Transportation Advisory Committee recommended closing the median and having the state assist in developing and funding the project. By the end of 1996, plans for the Square improvements were completed, with features added to commemorate and interpret the Square’s history, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held April 11, 1997.

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania · United States