Center Township officials have applied for a grant in hopes of funding a $1.2 million project to replace traffic signals at two intersections on Route 8.

According to Supervisor Phil Wulff, the supervisors voted on June 14 to apply for the PennDOT Automated Red Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant to replace the traffic signals at the intersection of Route 8 and the Clearview Mall, and the intersection of Route 8 and Mercer Road.

In total, Wulff said the cost of the signals at the mall intersection is nearly $608,000, while the cost for the Mercer Road intersection is about $579,000.

“(The signals) are getting old and parts are getting harder to find for them,” Wulff said.

The goal of replacing the signals is to make the intersections safer. Wulff said the grant prioritizes the impact on safety that the project provides. Since the two intersections are some of the biggest in the township, it was where officials decided to focus on.

“They’ll be more reliable too, they’ll have a battery backup that lets them work even in the case of losing power,” Wulff added.

According to PennDOT’s website, the grant program was established in 2010 to “fund worthwhile, relatively low cost projects that improve the safety and mobility of the traveling public.”

Eligible projects vary from traffic signal improvements to improving roads at intersections to school zones. Improvements recommended by the department’s Local Technical Assistance Program are also eligible.

Wulff said the deadline for the grant was June 30 and it will likely be “a couple months” before the township hears from PennDOT.