The long-awaited realignment of the Delp Road and Kissel Hill Road intersection in Manheim Township, led by the C.S. Davidson Project Manager and Senior Client Representative, has transformed a chaotic junction into a more efficient confluence of roads for the community.
The East Delp Road and Kissel Hill Road intersection in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, had long been a source of frustration and concern for local drivers. With three roads — East Delp, Kissel Hill, and Landis Valley Road — funneling into an awkward, misaligned meeting point, traffic bottlenecks and safety hazards became routine.
For years the community called for a solution, and Township leaders recognized that realignment was essential to ensure smoother, safer travel. In 2023, Chad Peters, PE, a Senior Client Representative and Project Manager at C.S. Davidson, led the effort to fix the problem intersection. The recently completed work improves not only traffic safety but environmental sustainability, transforming the area into a better-connected, more functional part of the Township.
Turning vision into reality
The plan for the intersection called for moving East Delp Road 320 feet north and Kissel Hill Road 85 feet south to create a four-legged intersection with a traffic signal. Landis Valley Road remained in its original location, but the C.S. Davidson team widened the road at the intersection and added a northbound right-turn lane to improve traffic flow.
Realigning roads was just one part of the challenge. The project required careful attention to stormwater management, which was not up to standards. To meet state and local regulations, Chad’s team installed bioretention ponds with natural filters designed to absorb and clean runoff water before it leaves the site.
“Part of the requirements in water management compliance is to mitigate volume, which means they really want you to infiltrate runoff into the ground and technically remove it, not pass it down the line,” Chad says.
To accomplish this, a special sandy soil and carefully developed seed mix were laid along the bottom of a bioretention pond. The system not only manages water efficiently but contributes to the local ecosystem. Native grasses and wildflowers absorb the bulk of the water, while the sandy soil mix allows most of the rest of the stormwater runoff to filter into the soil. The seed mix, which is formulated to thrive in wet conditions, helps absorb excess water while supporting local wildlife.
The project, just up the road from the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, also included the reconstruction of a 10-foot-wide paved walking trail on the south side of East Delp Road and a 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk on the north side. While there is no direct pedestrian connection to Kissel Hill Road, Chad believes this project will lay the groundwork for that to be possible, which would make the heavily trod area more walkable.
Doing the heavy lifting
One of Chad’s biggest lifts with the project involved coordination among an array of stakeholders, including the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, emergency services, area schools, waste-management companies, power and cable companies, and property owners.
“There was a ton of coordination,” he says.
Utility poles had to be relocated, rights-of-way obtained from the state and private landowners, and bus routes worked around. When the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship came to Lancaster Country Club in May 2024, Chad ensured that shuttles had unobstructed routes from parking areas to the course. The process of coordinating everything took years before construction officially began in February 2024, and Chad credits the community for its cooperation.
“This is not one of those things where, as a young engineer, you’re saying, ‘Well, I can’t wait until I make sure that the trash trucks can get through while I’m doing work,’ you know. But as you evolve as a project manager, it’s part of what you do,” Chad says. “That’s why Manheim Township hires us. I think as a company, we’re really good at coordinating and taking heavy lifts away from our clients and getting projects executed.”
The Delp and Kissel Hill roads intersection realignment improves traffic safety and sets the stage for other work in Manheim Township. Officials have begun exploring additional roadway connections that could be built onto this project, including extending Delp Road to create an east-west corridor across the township.
For Chad, this project has been one of the highlights of his nearly 10-year career at C.S. Davidson and one that brought together lessons and skills learned throughout a decade of experience to deliver a finished product that will benefit the community for years to come.