Public Works

Township Office: (267) 274-1100 | Police NON EMERGENCY: (215) 493-4011

Public Works Department

The Lower Makefield Township Public Works Department consists of a Public Works Director, two mechanics, nine road crew employees, a facility technician, several seasonal/part-time employees and an Administrative Assistant. The Department is housed at the Municipal Complex in the Public Works building located at 1100 Edgewood Road, Yardley, PA 19067.

The following is a brief description of the areas of responsibility of the Public Works Department. More detailed information may be obtained by calling the Public Works Director at 267-274-1130.

Director, Public Works

Derek Fuller

Email: derekf@lmt.org

Yard Waste Dropoff

The Recycle Yard will be closed on Fridays for the remainder of the year for mulch/compost. Please check back early in 2023 for when it will reopen.

Leaf Mulch Pickup

The Recycle Yard will be closed on Fridays for the remainder of the year for mulch/compost. Please check back early in 2023 for when it will reopen.

Road Maintenance and Paving

Plowing, salting and clearing of Township roads.
Sweeping Township roads.
Removal of road debris, excluding dead animals.
Patching of roads. Major road paving projects are bid.
Roadside mowing.

Click here for a Map of State and Township roads.

2022 Road Paving

Over $3,078,000 was budgeted by the Board of Supervisors for road paving and repairs of Township Roads for the 2022 season.

The 2022 Road Paving Project, which involves milling, selected base repair, and final roadway paving with curb ramps, where necessary, is a much more robust then in previous years. Funding comes from three (3) funding sources. These include a road loan from the Debt Services Fund in the amount of $1,500,000, the American Rescue Fund in the amount of $750,000 and the Liquid Fuels Fund in the amount of $777,233. In a typical year, the Liquid Fuels Fund is the main source of funding for the Township’s Road Paving Program. The road loan is a short-term loan, to be paid off in three years. What is also noteworthy is this additional funding does not increase taxes.

This year’s program totals fifty-seven (57) roads encompassing 11.41 miles in paving. Compared to what we have been paving in the last ten (10) years, this translates to about 4 years of paving in 2022. As a result, our 2023 and 2024 paving list (years 2 and 3 in our paving plan presented in the 2022 budget) are roads that would not have considered until 2026 and 2027. Other incidental work includes associated line stripping, inlet repairs and ADA curb ramps.

The Township has over 138 miles of roads. If we assume that a road needs to be repaved every 20 years (on average), it translates the need to pave 6.9 miles of roads per year. That is an average, understanding some roads may last much longer while others need to be paved every ten (10) years or so. With the additional funding sources this year, we are able to make a lot of progress on the list of roads in need and would hope to be able to do a similar road loan every three years to be able to stay on track.

The bid was recently awarded by the Board of Supervisor’s at a recent public meeting to James D. Morrissey, Inc and planning is underway for construction to be completed by the end of 2022.

2022 Paving Plan List of Roads

Signs

Repair and replacement of street signs on Township dedicated roads.
Repair and replacement of traffic signs.

Vehicles

Maintenance and repair of all Public Works, Police, Township Administration, Sewer and Parks & Recreation vehicles and equipment.
PA State Inspection Station – Inspection of all Township vehicles is done on the premises by our two certified mechanics.

Drainage

Install new and repair and replace existing drainage pipes.
Install and repair storm drain boxes and inlets
Clean storm drain boxes and inlets.
Clean and maintain all retention and detention basins.

Road Occupancy Permits

Issue Road opening permits for installation of utilities on pavement, shoulder, or outside of shoulder.
Issue permits for expansion of commercial and residential driveways. As-built plan required with application for permit.

Leaf Collection

Leaf collection update 12/09/2022

SECOND ROUND INFORMATION:

Active: Zones: 16, 20, 24
Up Next: Week of December 12th – 22, 23, 25, 26
Completed: Zones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21

Once the second round of leaf pickup is complete crews will perform a sweep of the Township to clean up any missed piles if the weather allows.

Please feel free to reach out to the Public Works Department at 267-274-1130 for any questions or concerns

Click here for a map of the Township Leaf Collection Zones.

Light Repairs

Replacement of bulbs in street lights. Please provide location and pole number when reporting burned out lights, whenever possible.
Replacement of bulbs in traffic signals on low posts. Police Department contractor with a boom truck is responsible for repairs of overhead traffic signals.

Mowing and Maintenance of Basins

Mow sides and tops of Township owned basins. Seasonal employees are hired during the Spring and Summer months to maintain the basins.
Dead tree removal in basins.
Cleaning and repair of drain pipes.

Preparation of Bid Specs and Purchasing

The Township participates in the Bucks County Consortium which collectively bids the purchase of heating fuels, gasoline, diesel, paint, road materials, pipe, salt and sign materials. This process enables the Township to purchase those items at highly discounted prices.
The Public Works Dept. prepares specifications for bidding and purchasing of all road equipment and vehicles.
Participation on the State Piggy Back Program (called Costars) to purchase various items through State contracts when available.