JACKSON TWP — The township has plans to collect thousands of dollars from developers for new construction in the township.

The township supervisors Thursday night approved an ordinance instituting traffic impact fees.

The ordinance allows the township to collect fees from developments that impact traffic and roads. The fees will be used primarily for road work and infrastructure improvements.

The ordinance establishes two transportation service areas and sets a rate for each one. Each development or construction project must include an estimate of the number of peak-hour trips of large vehicles coming and going from its site.

The northern service area includes the intersection of Little Creek Road and Route 19 and surrounding areas. The southern service area includes the intersection of Route 528 and Route 19 and Tollgate School Road and Route 19.

The rates are $1,424 per trip in the northern service area and $1,198 per trip in the southern area.

Based on the number of trips, the developer then must pay a fee to the township.

The township is permitted to collect the fees by the state Municipal Planning Code, though it must follow guidelines for how the money is used, township manager Chris Rearick said.

While it was developing the ordinance, the township was allowed to collect fees on an interim rate, which will include $442,000 for the already-approved FedEx Ground Facility to be built at the Sippel Development Commerce Park off Tomlinson Drive.

That money will help pay for the planned reconstruction of the intersection of Tomlinson Drive and Route 528, which will have a stoplight and will form a new four-way intersection with Jo Deener Road.

The fees cannot be used for routine road work or to correct existing deficiencies, Rearick said.

Following state guidelines, a township advisory committee — composed of its planning commission and three representatives of the business community — was formed to create the ordinance and to do several studies of development and the township’s roads.

To do the studies, the supervisors hired the engineering firm HRG for $43,800 for the work.

In addition to the new traffic impact fund, the township has received natural gas drilling impact fees collected by the state.

This year, the township got $199,808 which was put toward road work.