UPDATE: We received a note of clarification from Cheltenham Township wanting to inform residents that as of April 24 spraying has not yet begun, but can at any time between April in June. PennDOT doesn’t provide a schedule, so the Township wanted to make sure residents understood the program and their right to opt out via the permit.
This announcement comes via the office of state representative Steve McCarter.
PennDOT has announced that it has begun spraying roadside vegetation with herbicide on state roads and will continue to do so through June of this year as part of its Roadside Vegetation Management Program to kill invasive plant species such as Canada thistle and poison ivy. PennDOT does not provide a schedule before it sprays. If you live on one of these state roads, you may be impacted:
- Ashbourne Road (east of Washington Lane)
- Cedar Road
- Central Avenue (north of Ashbourne Road)
- Church Road
- Cheltenham Avenue
- Cottman Avenue
- Greenwood Avenue
- Limekiln Pike
- Mt. Carmel Avenue
- New Second Street
- Oak Lane Road
- Ogontz Avenue
- Old York Road
- Township Line Road
- Washington Lane
- Willow Grove Avenue
If you do not want PennDOT to spray on your property, you must fill out an application for a right-of-way vegetation management permit and agree to cut back the roadside plants on your property so that they do not impair visibility for motorists. You will not be exempt from spraying if you fail to maintain vegetation in the right-of-way of your property to PennDOT’s specifications, even if you complete a right-of-way vegetation management permit.
All herbicides used by PennDOT are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A certified PennDOT applicator monitors all contractors who spray the chemicals. For more information on the program, click here.