Road WATCH FOR Aug. 23….
(Crash outside Hospital Raises Readers’ Ire)
As of Friday, Upper Darby Police Superintendent said no charges had been filed against a 20-year-old Havertown woman who killed one college student and seriously injured another outside Delaware County Memorial Hospital after losing control of her car and running up on the sidewalk a week ago.
The tragic incident raised the ire of over 20 readers after reading that the driver lost control of her car while she was trying to retrieve her iPod. Rachael Jankins, 20, of the 200 block of Hastings Avenue, Haverford, was driving south on Lansdowne Avenue when she suddenly crossed over two northbound lanes and mowed down the two victims from behind.
Killed was Nicole Gallo, 19, of the 300 block of West Park Lane, Upper Darby, a soon-to-be sophomore at Lebanon Valley College. Injured seriously was Christine Bochanski, 20, of the 100 block of Berkley Avenue, Lansdowne, Nicole’s best girlfriend and a fellow 2008 Archbishop Prendergast High School grad.
Bochanski is enrolled as a sophomore at Villanova University. Both girls had participated in numerous activities at their high school.
Most readers expressed their shock at the accident about 11:13 a.m. Aug. 14 on busy Lansdowne Avenue near the main entrance of the hospital and offered their sympathies to the families of both young women.
They also hammered away at the need for tougher motor vehicle laws banning the use of handheld cell phones, texting and other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle.
I’ve been a longtime advocate of a state law against handheld cell phones and texting while driving, but, of course, such requests have fallen on the deaf ears of our Harrisburg honchos for the most part.
To those passive and politically correct observers who don’t want to be judgmental or criticize our readers for voicing their opinions against such stupid distractions, I have two words: WHAT IF?
WHAT IF the sidewalk the two victims were walking on before they were struck from behind was also crowded with young concert-goers to the nearby Upper Darby Performing Arts Center?
WHAT IF a mother was pushing her child in a stroller after visiting the hospital?
The loss of one life in such a senseless incident is one too much, but it’s a miracle that more lives weren’t lost on a busy Friday around lunchtime outside a major hospital.
A driver’s first priority should be keeping your eyes on the road and traffic conditions – and keeping your vehicle under control.
If you drop your cell phone, iPod or whatever electronic device, it can be retrieved when you come to a full stop at a red light and put the car in park, or by eventually pulling over in a parking space. It’s not the end of the world.
You shouldn’t be performing contortions trying to stretch over to the passenger seat floor or under the seat while steering your vehicle at the same time.
Is trying to recover an iPod, cell phone or whatever worth the life of a young woman with a bright future ahead of her and crippling another young lady who were on routine business at a hospital?
Harrsiburg, open up your ears to the tragic results of distracted driving.
SEPTA Drill
SEPTA will conduct an emergency simulation drill 9 a.m. today at the entrance to the Green Line tunnel near 36th and Market streets in Philadelphia. It will be a simulated trolley crash to test its readiness to respond. About 30 students from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital will participate in the drill, along with SEPTA and city emergency personnel.
As a result, there will be temporary service suspensions on trolley routes between 6 a.m. and noon today. Riders can use the Market-Frankford Line to 40th Street Station for connections to and from these lines.
Service in the tunnel at the 36th Street tunnel for trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will also be diverted from 10 tonight through 5 a.m. Monday to 40th and Market streets for routine maintenance.
Customers can continue to travel to Center City by using the Market-Frankford Line Night Owl bus service at 40th Street.
Pre-Labor Day Crackdown
Motorists will see an increased police presence on the highways starting this weekend as more than 600 municipal police departments and state police will be joining in a national crackdown on impaired driving through the Labor Day weekend.
A key focus of the crackdown will be underage drinking and driving as college students prepare to return to campuses and high school football season gets under way. Awareness events will be held at several high schools during the next two weeks.
There were more than 1,400 alcohol-related crashes involving drivers aged 16-20 across the state last year. Those crashes resulted in 45 fatalities.
Police made more than 9,100 DUI drug arrests in 2008.
Traffic Delays
Upper Darby – Victory Avenue/Cardington Road, bridge repairs between West Chester Pike and Lansdowne Avenue, 24-hour detour, beginning Tuesday and lasting through Sept. 8.
I-476 North/South (Blue Route) – herbicide application along several municipalities with intermittent lane restrictions between U.S. Route 1/Media Bypass and I-95, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday.
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.
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.

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.

ROADS COL.……FOR AUG. 2—JMR
CASH FOR CLUNKERS
The House voted overwhelmingly Friday to rush $2 billion into the popular but financially strapped “Cash for Clunkers” car-purchase program after learning the trade-in incentive for buying more fuel-efficient vehicles was running out of money.
President Barack Obama said he was encouraged by the House action on the program that has exceeded expectations. Senate action is likely next week, ensuring that the program won’t be affected by the cash shortage.The Car Allowance Rebate System or CARS is designed to help the economy by car sales.
Can owners can receive up to $4,500 depending upon criteria for trading in their old cars for new ones with higher gas mileage.
Congress had initially put aside $1 billion for the program. About 40,000 vehicle sales had been completed through the program, but dealers estimated they were trying to complete transactions on another 200,000 vehicles.
U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont, on Friday expressed strong support for continuing the initiative, citing its positive impact on car dealers. He was in contact with local dealers Thursday.
“It is important that the program be continued even if it may be necessary to reduce the amount of the vouchers and/or increase the improvements required in fuel efficiency,” he said.
The stimulus money would still be used for energy needs while also helping struggling dealers, which are small businesses responsible for more than 70 percent of job creation, Sestak said.
SEPTA RAIL SURVEY
“What’s in a name?” begins William Shakespeare’s famous quote from Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet.” “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
I don’t know how sweet some SEPTA Regional Rail trains or stations smell, but SEPTA all of a sudden is considering getting rid of the “R” (for rail) train route designations in use for a quarter century. SEPTA honchos say the present system is confusing to infrequent riders – like this supposedly will attract more customers – and tourists.
Some city officials are concerned that the new naming system would be part of a broader plan to change the way SEPTA operates its trains, but SEPTA insists that only the names would change, not the operations.
SEPTA has 13 train routes designated R1 (Airport Line) through R8. There are two different final destinations for each R route, for example some R3 trains have a final stop at Media or Elwyn in the county and another R3 goes to West Trenton, N.J. The latter end-of-the-line would be really out of the way for a new commuter who didn’t know where he was going in trying to go to Delco.
Also, confusing are the similar R2 designations for both the R2 Warminster and the R2 Wilmington/Newark, Del.
The Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers says there’s a general consensus that the current system is confusing.
I’m all for finding a way to make your way around the suburbs and city easier, but I don’t know how much such a signage project would cost in the long run, what with the expense of paint, installation and sign materials -- and labor.
If federal stimulus money could be directed toward this project, that’s one thing, but otherwise I feel SEPTA has more important priorities with regular riders than worrying about the occasional rider or tourist.
But if this brainstorm goes through, I think they should still use the R designation, but with a different number for each route. Using the beginning of a route, such as Market Street East and the end, such as Elwyn for the R3 line would require a longer sign: “R3 Market St. East./Elwyn.”
I say stick with the outbound designations from the Philadelphia starting points at Suburban Station, Market Street East and 30th Street.
If you have any suggestions or comments you can go online at www.septa.org, and fill out an 18-question survey. I did.
It remains to be seen if we “…should leave well enough alone,” as Mark Twain aptly said.
Preliminary work will begin Monday on a $21.7 million economic recovery project to install Intelligent Transportation System components on I-95 in Philadelphia and Bucks counties and I-676.
Crews will work over the next two weeks to take core samples of the subsurface where new overhead dynamic message signs are to be erected on I-95 between the Route 1 Interchange in Bucks County and the Broad Street interchange in Philadelphia, PennDOT said.
The core samples are needed for the design of foundations for the new sign structures. During the next two weeks, I-95 drivers will encounter short-term shoulder closures Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and short-term lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning.
The contractor will start on I-95 South at the Route 1 Interchange and crews will proceed south to the Broad Street Interchange. Upon reaching Broad Street, crews will move onto I-95 North.
This is the first of three ITS projects financed with economic recovery funds that will proceed into construction this year to install closed-circuit television cameras, dynamic message boards, incident detectors and travel-time readers to help pinpoint incidents and alert motorists of travel conditions on I-95, said PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso.
Toaso said the state’s network of ITS equipment on I-95 currently covers the area between Philadelphia International Airport and Route 132 (Street Road). The three upcoming ITS projects will close coverage gaps between these two points, while extending coverage north to the New Jersey line and south to the Delaware state line.
The project financed with federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act covers 19 miles of I-95 between Broad Street and I-676 in Philadelphia, and between Academy Road and Route 1 in Philadelphia and Bucks counties. It also includes 2.1 miles of I-676 between I-76 and I-95 in Philadelphia.
On I-95, PennDOT will install 17 new closed-circuit television cameras, 10 dynamic message signs, 54 travel time readers and 40 incident detectors. Crews will also upgrade 14 existing closed-circuit TV cameras and four existing message signs. On I-676, the contractor will install three dynamic message signs and vehicle detectors.
Within the five-county Philadelphia region, PennDOT will invest $254.4 million of federal economic recovery funds on 29 transportation projects, which include road/bridge improvements, ITS installations, traffic signal upgrades, multi-use trail construction and curb ramp replacements.
BARRY BRIDGE
The Commodore Barry Bridge will have two 15-minute stoppages in both directions 12-5 a.m. Thursday because of PennDOT ramp construction on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge.
Traffic Delays
Rumble strip installation countywide – sections of Routes 1, 3, 13, 322, 352 and 491, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
Bethel – Naamans Creek Road, Bethel Sewer Authority utility installation between Pyle and Foulk roads 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
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.
Also, Chichester Avenue, milling between Bethel Avenue and Larkin Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday.
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.