RTMSD Transportation Impact Study (TIS) May 2026

Rose Tree Road -April 2026

· Traffic monitoring was conducted manually on a single day - the Wednesday after Memorial Day - for 1 hour in the AM 8:15–9:15, & 1 hour in the afternoon, 3:15–4:15, missing the peak commuter times.

· “Peak hours” are set around bell times i.e. 8:15-9:15 AM & 3:15-4:15 PM. Before- & after-care is not considered. Many working parents will arrive during traditional commuter peak hours of 7:00–9:00 AM & 4:00–6:00 PM which was not monitored.

· The percentage increase in peak-hour traffic on Rose Tree Road & each affected intersection is not measured.

· The study states traffic conditions are only acceptable if future PennDOT improvements - currently in preliminary engineering & a decade or more away - are implemented.

· The link is current traffic on Ridley Creek Road -LOS C. Cars come from Rose Tree Road & Painter Road.

·To address identified site weaknesses, the district proposes creating a cut-through road across the Penncrest campus, connecting Barren Road to Rose Tree Road for bus & teacher access. Currently there is no plan to safely manage & regulate usage.

The study reports two intersections meet the annual number/year of accidents “to be concerning” but then qualifies the data stating “multiple were caused by improper/careless turns, which result in less than five correctable crashes.” “Improper/careless turns” is the epitome of an “accident.”

Painter Road - August 2026

The district’s traffic study identified 2 operational deficiencies due to existing traffic conditions - Rose Tree Road & Route 352 & Barren Road & Route 352. (see below Rose Tree Road Realignment.)

There is no plan to mitigate the identified Barren Road & Route 352 operational deficiency. Instead, hundreds of more cars and 15 buses would be added.

· The study did not analyze after-school & weekend sports traffic generated by the Multi-Sport Complex or the usage overlap.

· No analysis was done regarding whether emergency vehicles can bypass the lengthy car queue or how the site will function in inclement weather /mass early dismissal scenario.

· Many of the surrounding intersections perform at a level of service (LOS) of C or below.

· Intersections currently operating below LOS C are considered deficient & Township ordinance requires recommendations to eliminate the problems.

· District traffic engineer stated intersections currently operating at LOS C would deteriorate to D, while deficient intersections such as Van Leer Avenue would fall to F.

· PM commuter peak period was not analyzed

CAR QUEUE

A regional school, inaccessible to walking, with a delayed start time of 9:05 = 500+ parents expected to drive twice daily – all using a single entrance/exit point, shared with Penncrest sports activity, on a narrow road with no shoulder.

May 2026 Transportation Impact Study (TIS) - estimates daily vehicle trips generated by the proposed K-1 is 1,861 (value includes 47 of the 105 staff).

Cars that could be stored on-site without spilling onto Rose Tree Road & backing up Route 352 was reported as 44.

September 25, 2026 Supplemental Traffic Analysis proposed a 141 double-stacked car queue.

With double stacking, RTMSD claims they can accommodate 141 cars.

141 ÷ 820 student capacity x 100 = 17.2%.

Data was collected the 1st 3 weeks of the 2026-27 school year with 2 of the 3 weeks having a holiday. The full week, the observed values are higher.

The updated carline analysis determines 135 cars is the needed queue.

135 is nearly a factor of 2 less than the AM parent value in the TIS which estimates 308 parents in the AM. Why the difference?

Because the entire kindergarten population is excluded from the Analysis!

And although told the data represents 1st grade, it is actually the entire student body. Check the enrollment

Young children are more likely to be driven & take longer time to process. Including the entire student population & passing it off as 1st grade data, skews the results.

Current walkers are omitted from the calculation of needed cars despite none of the children being able to walk to the proposed K-1.

The maximum number of vehicles that can be processed & contained on-site is not known.

It is not known whether the queue remains entirely on the property under peak conditions - projected 308 AM entering passenger-car trips & 261 exiting.

Middletown's educational-use standards Zoning Code, §275-150(A)(6) requires automobile & school-bus stacking lanes be sufficient & that stacking lanes & waiting areas to be clearly marked & not shared with parking circulation aisles, traffic flow, or pedestrian circulation areas.

· The car queue shares a parking circulation aisle.

· The car queue is intertwined with the site's other circulation rather than being clearly separated into an independent, dedicated stacking.

· Bus loading is close to the playground. Buses are unobstructed from circulation until the car queue clears, idling for long periods. 5–6-year-old children breathe more rapidly & their lungs are still developing.

· Dedicated entrance for adult learners is blocked by the carline. Impact to pick-up & drop-off is unassessed.

· Parents who park to enter the building have to cross the double-stacked carlines. Children ages 5–7 are among the least able to judge vehicle speed & gaps in traffic.

· Emergency access & response times are not evaluated.

Rose Tree Road Realignment

The TIS identified Rose Tree Road as an operational deficiency due to existing traffic conditions.

In response, the district proposes to partially undertake a PennDOT road improvement project involving the realignment of Rose Tree Road (a state managed road) to come out at the light across from the Granite Run Promenade.

PennDOT's project is proposed to address existing transportation problems; PennDOT's data collection & analysis does not account for traffic associated with the proposed K-1 & Multi-Sport Complex.

PennDOT’s plan is intended to address existing traffic deficiencies & includes widening of Route 352.

The district’s original concept included an eastbound left-turn lane on Route 352, a westbound right-turn lane, & two southbound lanes on the realigned Rose Tree Road - but not the additional widening of Route 352.

Without the corresponding Route 352 widening improvement, Rose Tree Road realignment does not address existing traffic nor mitigate the impact of the expected 1,861 additional vehicle trips.

Rose Tree Road realignment construction is estimated at $3.7M with engineering costs with timeline undermined.

A state taxpayer grant of $2,516,291 was awarded. A total of $5,029,276 in grants was applied for by RTMSD despite the $3.7M cost told to the public.

The road realignment project includes building storm water facilities & acquiring a land easement for approximately $80,000 (once PennDOT conducts their project, the land will be redirected to PennDOT as a public right of way).

The realignment of the road involves property (0.228-acre) not controlled by the district (see shaded area).

An eminent domain claim was filed May 1, 2026 against the neighboring church property to take acreage needed for the road realignment; the property owner is fighting the taking.

The road realignment must be completed before the school is operational.

PennDOT meeting minutes state “Environmental clearance for whole PennDOT project is needed before the project can be broken up into phases. Funding & contracts would need to be set a year prior” raising the question of how long will this take?

Is the District Implementing PennDOT’s Plan—or Modifying It?

RTMSD initially described its Rose Tree Road realignment as advancing a planned PennDOT improvement to address existing roadway deficiencies.

However, the district’s current roadway concept includes an interim configuration with additional turning lanes & two southbound lanes on the realigned Rose Tree Road, while omitting Route 352 widening included in PennDOT’s project.

How much of the district’s proposed roadway design is consistent with PennDOT’s recommended alternative, & how much represents a modification to accommodate the school?

PennDOT must independently review & approve the revised plan to make sure it can integrate with the future Route 352/U.S. 1 improvements.

The district must obtain a Highway Occupancy Permit from PennDOT.