Horsham Township is roughly 17 square miles, 88.33 miles of which are township roads. There are 23.72 miles of state roads and 1.5 miles of county roads. The township boundaries are Route 63 (Welsh Road) to the west, Blair Mill Road to the south, County Line Road to the east and Lower State Road to the north between County Line Road and Horsham Road, and both sides of Lower State Road from Horsham Road to Welsh Road.

Horsham Township Public Works maintains all of the 82.94 miles of township roads, by means of overlay paving, full reconstruction of roadways, pothole patching, crack sealing, grading of shoulders. The road crew performs the cleaning of roadside ditches, installing and maintaining storm sewer lines and inlets, trimming trees past the curb line (in the right of way only), cutting tall grass along roadsides and intersections, where there is open space, painting of traffic lines, (yellow center lines, white lines along edge of roads, and all lines, stop bars, arrows at intersections, both state and township). We make, repair and install signs, maintain all traffic, school & street lights and do the street sweeping, and snow & ice control & removal. The crew picks up trash (along township main roads only), builds walking trails for the Horsham Park & Recreation Department.

Horsham Township Public Works also performs maintenance, state inspection and service on all township trucks, cars (including police cars) and equipment. They maintain all township buildings and perform all janitorial services.

State Roads

The 23.72 miles of state roads maintained by PennDot are the following:

• Welsh Road (Route 63)
• Blair Mill Road
• County Line Road
• Norristown Road
• Limekiln Pike (Route 152)
• Easton Road (Route 611)
• Route 309

The .722 miles of county roads maintained by Montgomery County are the following:

• Butler Pike
• Horsham Road (From Route 611 - Blair Mill Road)

The Horsham Township Public Works Department does not perform curbside trash or recycling pick up. You must contract a trash hauler to collect your trash. The trash haulers who have permits to collect in Horsham Township are:

• Allied Waste Services (formerly BFI) - 215-723-0400
• Arthur Moore - 215-646-6279
• Ches-Mont Disposal - 1-800-710-1333
• G and C Waste Services, Inc. - 610-313-9710
• Waste Management - 215-257-1142

Contact your trash hauler for information regarding pick up of leaves, yard waste, Christmas trees, appliances and recycling. Horsham Township does not supply recycling containers. You must supply your own container marked "recyclables".

Mailboxes

Mailboxes sometimes present a problem to the Public Works Department when they are performing snow plowing or road sweeping and paving. It would prevent interference with road work, if mailboxes are installed so that the front of the mailbox is even with the back of the curb, or 12" off the edge of the roadway, without curbs.

• Download Online Request Form (1 Page/14.3 KB)

LED's - Light Emitting Diodes

Horsham Township is in the process of updating all of the traffic signals in the township to LED's for the following reasons:

• Lower operating costs
• Bright lights that can be seen in adverse weather conditions
• Longer lamp life - fewer bulb outages
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Lower power consumption

Traffic Light and Stop Bars

Stop bars are painted for a specific purpose, and are not for decorative reasons. They are approximately 24" wide and may be staggered at intersections. There are detectors in the roadway to tell the light controller that there is a vehicle at the traffic signal. In some cases, if you pull up to a light just after it changed, after a few seconds, move up a little, but not past the stop bar. This way, the sensor can detect that a car is there. When you pull past the stop bar, if no cars are behind you to trip the sensor, you may wait a long time for a green light. You may also see a flashing spot light at some intersections, which indicates that an emergency vehicle is moving up behind you. This will trigger the green light, so that you may move out of its way.

Snow Regulations

Sidewalks

Township regulations require that all public sidewalks abutting your property are cleared to a width of 3 feet within 24 hours of a snowfall. When icing conditions do not allow the sidewalk to be cleared without damage to the concrete, some sort of grit for traction must be spread.

Vehicles

Vehicles are required to be moved from the public streets during a snowfall where accumulation is expected. This allows the snowplows to clear streets to their full width and not risk damaging any vehicles left in the roadway. Vehicles left in the streets may be subject to ticketing or towing (at the owners expense). Likewise trash cans should be placed behind the curb and not left in the street.

Snow Removal

Snow removed from your driveway or sidewalks is not permitted to be thrown or pushed into the public street. Placement of snow in the street can cause more hazardous conditions, or obstruct travel lanes. If you have a private snow plow service clear your driveway, be certain that they understand this restriction.

It is impossible to keep snow from being deposited in driveways & sidewalks. For safety and efficiency, plows cannot be lifted at driveways. Please do not clear your driveway or sidewalks until plowing equipment has passed.

• Download Online Request Form (1 Page/14.3 KB)

Storm Water Management

By practicing healthy household habits, homeowners can keep common pollutants like pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings & automotive fluids off the ground and out of storm water.

Curbs and Sidewalks

Please keep all trees, shrubs and plantings/vegetation cut back to ensure proper site distance. Maintenance of shrubbery is also necessary in the vicinity of driveways.

As per Horsham Township's Ordinance No. 72, "It shall be the primary duty and responsibility of the owner, lessee or occupier of premises abutting or adjoining a public street to see that all sidewalks, curbing and driveway aprons located on his property shall be kept in a safe and useable condition, free from litter, debris, holes or obstructions."

"Every owner, lessee or occupier of premises abutting on a public street shall cause the repair of sidewalks, curbs or driveway aprons on or along his property upon thirty days notice from the Township of Horsham to make such repairs in the manner stipulated in such notice."

Horsham Township Criteria for Replacement of Existing Concrete Curb, Sidewalk, or Driveway Apron

Any curb, sidewalk or driveway apron that is determined by the Township Highway Department to constitute a hazard to pedestrian traffic shall be replaced. Also, the existence of any of the following deficiencies shall be reason for replacement:

1. Spalling or Chipping - Any spalling or chipping shall be reason for repair of a curb, sidewalk or driveway apron. Where such spalling or chipping extends beyond twenty-five percent (25%) of the surface area of curb or sidewalk, it shall be deemed to be beyond repair and such section must be replaced. On curb, sidewalk or driveway apron that is to be repaired, such work must be performed according to Horsham Township specifications.
2. Cracking - Any curb, sidewalk or driveway apron that is cracked to a width of one-quarter inch or more at any point along the crack shall be replaced.
3. Misalignment - Any curb out of vertical or horizontal alignment by one inch (1") or more shall be replaced. Any sidewalk section (s) that is tilted in any direction one-half inch (1/2") or more out of alignment from the adjoining sections or raised or sunk more than 1"in 12" shall be replaced.
4. Where a curb has been broken or snapped off it must be replaced and no capping shall be permitted.
5. An existing monolithic pour of concrete for both curb and driveway apron will only be permitted where the curb pour is to the full depth required for curbing under Horsham Township specifications. Prior to approval of the retention of any monolithic pour of concrete for both curb and driveway apron, the property owner shall be required to prove that existing curbing was not snapped off and capped by the monolithic pour.
6. Any sidewalk block or driveway apron that is determined to constitute a hazard to pedestrian traffic shall be removed and replaced.
7. Curb depressions shall be built to Horsham Township specifications. Depressions that do not conform to the standards by more than one inch (1") shall be removed and replaced with appropriate apron adjustments.
8. Intersections where a handicap ramp exists must be replaced in kind.
9. All materials, workmanship and construction shall conform to the applicable township ordinances, township standards and PADOT regulations. Interpretation as to the applicability of any ordinance or scope of any provision shall rest with the Township Highway Department.

Road Projects

Each year the Highway Department performs roadway maintenance activities within the Township including:

• Major patching - Large portions of the roadway are cut out or milled out and replaced with new asphalt.
• Crack sealing - The Township has been using rubberized fibrous asphalt sealant with more body to fill and seal cracks in the roadway.

Funding for paving programs primarily come from Liquid Fuels Funding from the state and the annual Township budget. Roads are selected based on various criteria including surface condition, traffic volume and condition of underground utilities.

During the project, your street will be open to local traffic and emergency vehicles. During the milling and paving of your street we require that all cars be parked in your driveways to assist with timely completion of your road. Due to extreme material temperatures please keep children and pets away from the road where the paving process is occurring. Please also avoid driving your vehicle on blacktop or crack sealer material to avoid damage. We will not be liable for resulting damages.

Curbs and sidewalks needing to be replaced will be marked with a white X and is the homeowner's responsibility to repair prior to the road projects. Permits and specifications can be obtained at the Code Enforcement Office located in the Township Building

Each property owner prior to the start of the projects are encouraged to check all mailboxes to ensure they are a minimum of 6" behind the face of the curb (or 12" off the roadway if no curb exists) which is within federal postal regulations. This will help to prevent damage to your mailbox during the milling and paving operations. If your mailbox is not placed properly and is knocked down the township will not be responsible for this damage.

• Download Online Request Form (1 Page/14.3 KB)

Street Lights

The Highway Department is responsible for street light maintenance in the Township. If you see a streetlight that is out, you may contact the Township at 215-643-3131 or complete the online Request for Service Form. As maintenance is needed, the Township is trying to convert the existing lamps with high-pressure sodium lamps to provide more light at a lesser cost. Please be sure to provide the nearest property address and pole # to help us locate the light and make repairs in a timely manner.

• Download Online Request Form (1 Page/14.3 KB)

Kids Fun Page - Learn More About Public Works

Visit www.pwpaws.net for interesting information for children and teens to learn more about what a Public Works Department is responsible for. On this site, you will find:

• Elementary school children can print a P.W. Paws mask, coloring pages & mazes
• Junior High school students can do word searches, mad-lib's and crosswords.
• High School students can learn about Public Works/Highway Department careers and environmental education.