Road Watch for April 27
(Barry Bridge repairs/lane closings start next month; an $8 million deck joint repair job & $71 million I-95/Route 322 Interchange Improvement Project)
The vicinity of the Commodore Barry Bridge will have a lot going on with lane closings due to an $8 million deck joint repair project next month and a $71 million project to build two new ramps to provide direct access between Route 291 (Second Street) and I-95 in Chester.
Although the exact date hasn't been set yet, an $8 million project begins in May to replace 74 existing compression seal joints with new strip seal joints on the bridge approach structure, according to the Delaware River Port Authority. The DRPA owns/operates four bridges across the Delaware River.
The deck joint job must be completed in a timely manner so PennDOT can build new ramps connecting the bridge with the Chester waterfront, said DRPA Chief Engineer William Brooks.
The project will involve closing two of its five lanes for almost seven months – not good news for seashore and work commuters as the vacation season approaches by Memorial Day.
Further details on the project, such as which lanes will be closed and the hours of construction are pending, said DRPA spokesman Ed Kasuba.
The Barry Bridge, opened to traffic Feb. 1, 1974, handles an average daily traffic count of about 44,000 vehicles.
Major construction begins in early May on the I-95/U.S. Route 322 (Commodore Barry Bridge) Interchange Improvement Project that will reconstruct the interchange to improve congestion and provide access between I-95 and the Chester waterfront area. The PennDOT project will be done in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration.
Construction is expected to finish by August 2011, according to PennDOT spokesman Charles Metzger.
The project will provide direct access from Route 322 East and I-95 to Route 291 via a new off-ramp from the Barry Bridge.
A new on-ramp to the bridge from Route 291 will provide access to Route 322 West and I-95 from the Chester waterfront.
This improvement project will reconstruct the interchange connecting two heavily traveled corridors – I-95 and Route 322 – which carries traffic from Chester and Delaware counties eastward to New Jersey via the bridge.
This project will improve mobility into and out of Chester and the waterfront through direct vehicular access from I-95 to Route 291.
Direct access will eliminate the need for local/commercial traffic to use neighborhood roadways as the primary connection between I-95 and Route 291.
The new ramps comply with the city’s plan for economic redevelopment and revitalization projects throughout the city and particularly along the waterfront.
DRPA will be doing their work first and then PennDOT will be starting on one of the new ramps, Metzger said. A second ramp will be built after that.
Clearing work will be performed first and some aerial easements must be worked out with some property owners, he said.
One ramp will begin at the intersection of Route 291 and Tilghman Street, the westbound on-ramp to Route 322, which will connect to I-95 North/South, Metzger said.
The second ramp will be an eastbound off-ramp connecting the Barry Bridge above Third Street and that ramp will descend onto Route 291 and Jeffery Street, he said.
The project also entails widening 16 sections of the bridge to accommodate acceleration/deceleration.
The contractor on the project is Driscoll Construction Co. Inc. of North Wales.
Darby-Paoli Road
Lane closures are scheduled on Darby-Paoli Road between Brooke Road and Newtown Road in Radnor 7 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays for bridge pier repairs. The work is expected to be finished by July.
Traffic will be controlled by flagging.
This work is part of PennDOT’s nearly $750,000 project to repair 31 bridges in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Aqua Work
Aqua Pennsylvania will close several lanes on Baltimore Pike between Sproul Road (Route 320) and Paper Mill Road in Springfield weekdays for water main installation, PennDOT said.
The pike will be restricted 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 30. Work began April 21.
Traffic Delays
Middletown – Baltimore Pike South, bridge parapet repairs between Wawa Road and Franklin Mint roads 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
Springfield Road – Aldan and Upper Darby, PECO Energy utility repairs between Providence Road and Massachusetts Avenue 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday through May 6.
Edgmont – Providence Road, paving between West Chester Pike and Goshen Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through May 2.
Chester Township –Concord Road: utility installation between Commerce Drive and McDonald Boulevard 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 4.
“Road Watch” appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.