For Levittown Mom, Sidewalks Along New Falls Road Are A Dream Come True

After Sharon Rearick‘s son John passed away along New Falls Road in 2012, she made it her mission to fight to sidewalks along the busy roadway that runs through Falls, Middletown and Bristol townships.

From speaking at public meetings to raising funds, Rearick has done it all to help get sidewalks installed along the busy road. Along with her nonprofit, Sidewalks Are For Everyone, Rearick and a dedicated band of volunteers have worked together to make the sidewalks project happen.

A few weeks back, Rearick learned her efforts were not in vain.

Just last month, the Falls Township Board of Supervisors approved a plan to construct a concrete and asphalt sidewalk installation between Vermillion Drive and Penn Valley Drive. The project that will cost just over $299,000 is a “necessary project,” Supervisor Jeff Boraski said.

More good news came when Rearick learned that PennDOT had approved and will pay for a sidewalk along a  portion of New Falls Road near the site on her son’s crash.

The project still has plenty of details that need to be hammered out, including whether Middletown and/or Bristol Township will maintain the sidewalks, PennDOT spokesperson Charles Metzger said last week.

At a recent Bristol Township Council meeting, officials discussed the maintenance of sidewalks along New Falls Road, which is a PennDOT-maintained road. Township Manager Bill McCauley raised some concerns about why Bristol Township would use their resources to maintain PennDOT’s sidewalks.

Middletown officials and PennDOT leaders recently met to discuss the project and how they could work together, Metzger said.

The project has been in the works for years before recently receiving approval from PennDOT.

In 2013, PennDOT sent out right-of-way notices to property owners who have shed or fences encroaching on the state’s easement along New Falls Road. The letters gave residents a period of time to remove or relocate their items. If not, crews will remove them, PennDOT’s county maintenance manager Cal Morrison said at the time.

Metzger said the right-of-way notices were the first step on the project, which is still in its design phase.

In Falls, the township-funded sidewalks project will connect often-used pedestrian areas around Pennsbury High School, Levittown neighborhoods and the baseball fields to high-traffic businesses like Jo-Jo’s Ice Cream and Water Ice and Levittown Lanes. In the summer, pedestrians are often seen walking across and on New Falls Road.

“I see people walking every day, just about,” Falls board Chairman Bob Harvie said. “Kids walking to school. People riding bikes. We’re trying to make it safe.”

In addition to keeping pedestrians and bicyclists safe, the goal is to connect the neighborhoods with Pennsbury High School, as well as various attractions, including Jo Jo’s Ice Cream and Water Ice and the Levittown Lanes bowling alley.

Rearick believes her son, who was walking home after a night at the bar when he was struck by a driver who fled the scene, would be alive he had sidewalks to trek home in along New Falls Road. A memorial that is often visited by Rearick and her family sits at the crash site across from the Penn Jersey Auto Store.

“This isn’t about my son anymore. It’s about the safety of the community, and that’s why this needs to get done. I won’t stop till that happens, the communities safety is at risk,” Rearick said when she began her journey to get sidewalks along New Falls Road.

When Rearick learned of the PennDOT approval last month, she said she cried happy tears.

“It will not bring my son back, however it may save another parent from living the nightmare.”