Road Watch, Aug. 9, JMR
(BLUE ROUTE traffic pattern change)
I-476 North (the Blue Route) will be reduced to one lane at the bridge over the Schuylkill River in Plymouth Township and West Conshohocken, Montgomery County, 10 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday to perform a traffic pattern change.
Motorists driving north on I-476 during this operation should allow additional time for travel while crews paint new traffic lines and move barriers to shift two lanes of I-476 North traffic to the far left side of the northbound bridge, freeing the right half of the bridge for reconstruction.
The single lane of I-476 North traffic to remain open during this overnight operation will be the northbound express lane, which crosses over to the southbound side of I-476 just north of the I-76 Interchange and crosses back to rejoin the Blue Route’s two northbound lanes north of the bridge, PennDOT reports.
The next night from 10 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday, I-476 North will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes approaching the bridge for construction.
The right lane will be closed on the northbound span.
The traffic pattern change is part of PennDOT’s $47.4 million project to repair/rehabilitate the 35-year-old twin bridges that carry I-476 over the Schuylkill River.
PennDOT is rebuilding I-476’s northbound structure this year.
The southbound bridge will be rebuilt in 2010. PennDOT began construction in March.
BARRY BRIDGE
Wednesday and Friday, traffic restrictions are scheduled on the I-95 ramps to the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester, including the Ninth Street ramp to the bridge, for bridge construction.
There will be intermittent traffic stoppages on the I-95 North/South ramps to the bridge 12:01-5 a.m. Wednesday and Friday.
Also, there will be intermittent traffic stoppages on the bridge during the same periods.
Also, there will intermittent traffic stoppages on the Ninth Street ramp to the bridge during the same time.
U.S. ROUTE 202
Construction is expected to start in October on a $42 million project to build the northern section of the 8.6-mile-long Route 202 Parkway between Route 63 (Welsh Road) and Route 611 in Montgomery and Bucks counties, PennDOT said.
James D. Morrissey Inc. of Philadelphia submitted the apparent lowest bid to build 3.4 miles of the parkway between Pickertown Road and Route 611 in Warrington and Doylestown, Bucks County. The bid still must undergo a thorough evaluation for conformity to state specifications.
PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said the project is expected to bring relief to the congestion motorists face daily traveling between Montgomeryville and Doylestown.
NEW NEWSLETTER
PennDOT now has a new electronic newsletter, E-PennDOT Digest, so the public can learn more about PennDOT’s diverse programs and services.
“This newsletter will help the public to understand that PennDOT’s scope is much broader than the yellow trucks you see on the roads,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler.
“While maintaining highways and bridges is a major component of our work, we also have many other programs that are vital to Pennsylvanians,” he said.
The electronic digest is a quarterly online newsletter that provides updates on key initiatives, such as the Accelerated Bridge Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Unique projects and partnerships from across the state are highlighted, in addition to news related to public transportation, aviation and rail freight.
Employee features are also included, detailing how PennDOT employees go the extra mile to serve taxpayers.
The newsletter is available by clicking on E-PennDOT Digest under the “News & Media” link on PennDOT’s Web site, www.dot.state.pa.us.
Visitors to the Web site also have the option of subscribing to the newsletter by providing a current e-mail address.
Suggestions for future articles or comments related to the digest can be e-mailed to the PennDOT Press Office at RA-penndotpress@state.pa.us.
U.S. ROUTE 1 NORTH
PECO Energy Co. will close the northbound right lane on U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Pike) in Kennett Township, Chester County, starting Monday for gas main installation. Crews will work Mondays-Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Sept. 11.
I-95 VIADUCT
Construction has started on a $12.6 million project to rehabilitate the structurally deficient 33-span structure that carries I-95 over Broad Street in South Philadelphia. Work is expected to finish in December 2010.
“Crews will work over the next 17 months to make significant structural repairs to the viaduct that dates back to the 1970s and is showing its age,” said PennDOT District Executive Lester Toaso.
PennDOT will keep three travel lanes open in each direction, but motorists will face overnight lane closures and traffic pattern shifts. The contractor is allowed to close a lane in one or both directions Sundays-Thursday 8 p.m.-5 a.m. On Fridays-Saturdays, lane closures are allowed 8 p.m.-8 a.m.
Weekend work will not coincide with a holiday weekend or a special event in the city or stadium complex.
Built in 1973, the viaduct is 2,922 feet long and 109 feet wide. It carries 95,000 vehicles a day on I-95’s three northbound and southbound lanes.

Traffic Delays
Bethel – Naamans Creek Road, Bethel Sewer Authority utility installation between Pyle and Foulk roads 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 14.
Also, Naamans Creek Road, utility installation between Ashbrook Avenue and Foulk Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 21. Work began June 4.
Upper Chichester – Naamans Creek Road, Southern Delaware County Authority utility installation, closed/detoured between Larkin and Meetinghouse roads 9 a.m.-3 p.m., detour posted through Sept. 6.
Holmes Road/Amosland Road – Ridley Township, Prospect Park and Norwood, Aqua utility installation between MacDade Boulevard and Chester Pike 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 2, detour posted.
Baltimore Avenue – Lansdowne, East Lansdowne, Upper Darby, Aqua Pennsylvania utility installation, closed/detoured between Church Lane and Lansdowne Avenue, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., detour posted weekdays through Nov. 30.
Springfield – Sproul Road (Route 320), road reconstruction/widening between Baltimore Pike and Route 420, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 14. Work began July 6.
Tinicum – Second Street, Aqua Pa. utility installation between Erickson and Putcan avenues 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 31. Work began June 1.
Middletown and Media – Baltimore Pike, AT&T conduit installation with lane restrictions between Routes 452 and 352, 7 p.m.-6 a.m. weeknights through Aug. 28. Work began April 20.
Haverford – Coopertown Road, Aqua installation, closed/detoured between College Avenue and Darby Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 28. Work began April 20.
Also, College Avenue closed/detoured 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays between Coopertown Road and Spring Mill Lane through Aug. 28. Work began April 20.
Chester — Flower Street, ramp construction with a new traffic pattern at Fourth and Second streets, 24-hour restriction through 2011. Work began Jan. 12.
Also, Norris Street, ramp construction with lane restrictions at Front Street and Delaware Avenue, 24-hour restriction through 2011. Work began Jan. 12.
Ridley Park – Ridley Avenue, Aqua utility installation, closed/detoured between Constitution Avenue and Cresswell/Tasker streets 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays and through Aug. 28. Work began March 9.
“Road Watch” appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.