For Dec. 13------Road Watch…
Nighttime travel restrictions will be in place tonight through Thursday on the Montgomery County section of the Blue Route (I-476) for continuing construction between the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Mid-County Interchange and the I-76 Interchange.
Lane closures are in effect as work crews continue to prepare to rehabilitate the I-476 South bridge over the Schuylkill River and reconstruct the adjacent 3.2 miles of I-476 in early 2010.
BULLET I-476 South will be reduced from three lanes to two from south of the turnpike’s Mid-County Interchange (Exit 20) to the bridge over the Schuylkill River tonight-Thursday 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
BULLET I-476 South will be reduced from three lanes to one from the bridge over the Schuylkill through the I-76 Interchange (Exit 16) tonight through Thursday 11 p.m.-5 a.m.
BULLET I-476 North will be reduced from three lanes to two from the I-76 Interchange (Exit 16) to the Ridge Pike Interchange (Exit 18) tonight through Thursday 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
BULLET I-476 North will be reduced from three lanes to one from approaching the Ridge Pike Interchange (Exit 18) to the approach to the turnpike’s Mid-County Interchange (Exit 20) tonight through Thursday 11 p.m.-5 a.m.
Motorists using the Blue Route should remain alert for slowdowns and expect delays approaching the construction areas, especially when the two-lane closure is in place on I-476 North.
Barry Bridge Construction
Traffic restrictions are scheduled this week on the Commodore Barry Bridge and the I-95 ramps to the bridge in Chester, including the Ninth Street ramp to the Commodore Barry Bridge for bridge construction.
The work is part of PennDOT’s $71.1 million project to construct two new ramps off the bridge to provide direct access between I-95 and Route 291 (Second Street). Construction is scheduled to finish in 2011.
BULLET Monday, 4-9 a.m., the westbound right lane will be closed on the bridge for bridge deck reconstruction.
BULLET Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the westbound center lane will be closed on the bridge daily for bridge deck reconstruction.
Crews are building a new ramp off the approach to the bridge to enable I-95 motorists to exit onto Route 291. A second ramp being built off the bridge will allow Route 291 drivers to reach I-95.
PennDOT reminds motorists they can log on to 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major highways before heading out.
For more information, visit www.dot.state.pa.us/district 6.
I-95 Bridge Repairs
Lane restrictions are scheduled this week on I-95 North/South in Philadelphia for bridge repairs under three separate contracts.
The work will be completed under a $10.8 million contract.
Weekdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., I-95 North/South will be restricted between Girard Avenue and Woodhaven Road (Route 63) for bridge deck and expansion dam repairs.
SEPTA Shuttles
Starting Monday, SEPTA will begin running shuttle buses for the next phase of the Route 101 Media/Sharon Hill Line reconstruction project.
They will replace regular trolley service on the line between Woodland Avenue and Media seven days a week. The project is expected to be completed in March 2010.
The project involves replacing 1922-era rail with continuous welded rail for a safer smoother ride and improve the highway grade crossings and overhead power systems.
They will also install fiber optic cabling along the line for audio-visual public address devices at passenger stations and train control.
Work will also include structural improvements to overhead power systems and vegetation maintenance.
Shuttle bus stops are located at or near trolley stops marked with “Route 101 Shuttle Bus” signs.
No Bridge Toll Hike Yet
The Delaware River Port Authority board voted last week to postpone the September 2010 toll increase, citing its effort to reduce the burden on toll payers in this recession.
The tolls on the DRPA’s four bridges – Ben Franklin, Commodore Barry, Walt Whitman and Betsy Ross – will remain $4 until July 2011, when it goes up to $5.
To adjust for a portion of the revenue lost due to the postponement, commissioners voted to reallocate $8 million of economic development funds. This move allows the authority to pay down its debt and delay increasing the tolls for the next 10 months.
“By not increasing tolls, the average toll paying customer will save approximately $200 during the 10-month time period,” said John Matheussen, DRPA CEO and PATCO president.
Routes 422 & 202
Lane restrictions are scheduled Tuesday on Routes 202 and 422 for a series of bridge inspections in Tredyffrin, Chester County, PennDOT said.
BULLET Tuesday, 9 a.m.-noon, the left lane will be closed on Route 422 West between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and U.S. Route 202.
BULLET Tuesday, noon-1 p.m., the right shoulder will be closed on Route 202 North between Valley Forge Road and Route 422.
BULLET Tuesday, 1-3 p.m., the right shoulder will be closed on the Route 202 South off-ramp to Swedesford Road.
Traffic Delays
Chester – Route 352, ADA ramp construction with lane restrictions between 10th and 22nd streets, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays.
I-95 North/South – Chester, Chester Township, Upland, Upper Chichester and Lower Chichester, trenching with shoulder closures between Naamans Creek Road (Route 491) and the Blue Route (I-476), 9 p.m.-5 a.m. weeknights.
Route 452 East/West – Upper Chichester, trenching with shoulder closures between Chestnut Street and Johnson Avenue 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday.
Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement with lane restrictions between Darlington and Station roads, 24-hour restrictions, through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12 on the $4.2 million project by J.D. Eckman Inc.
Baltimore Pike (Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement between Darlington Road and Station Road, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12. Cost is $4.27 million; contractor is J.D. Eckman Inc.
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.
“Road Watch” appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.

ROAD WATCH COL. 12-6
(A Patch Quilt of Motor Vehicle Laws Makes No Sense)

AAA Mid-Atlantic announced support of Philadelphia’s ban effective Dec. 1 on handheld cell phones and texting while driving a vehicle, but said a statewide law is needed in fairness to motorists.
I second that motion because how many people from surrounding suburbs or upstate or out-of-state know about this new regulation when they enter the city – especially if not enough signs are posted by the city.
The motorist organization – as does Road Watcher – believes legislation regulating motor vehicles should come from state lawmakers, not local municipalities. Some other municipalities, including Lower Chichester in Delaware County, have enacted such ordinances, but this just contributes to a confusing zig-zagging patch quilt of jurisdictions that many motorists may not be aware of.
I say let local municipalities enact local zoning and miscellaneous ordinances, but leave matters of motor vehicle regulation, inspection and related issues under the jurisdiction of PennDOT and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Are we going to have local mayors, commissioners and councilmen check tire pressures and mufflers next?
“A patchwork of local ordinances is unfair and can be confusing to motorists,” says AAA spokeswoman Catherine Rossi. AAA called on state lawmakers to pass a statewide law banning texting while driving.
“Texting while driving is the epitome of distracted driving,” Rossi said. “Research shows that our crash risk doubles when we look away from the road for two or more seconds.
“No message is worth the risk to yourself or other drivers,” she said. “If a message or an e-mail just can’t wait – pull over to a safe area before replying.”
AAA believes that laws that prohibit handheld cell phones while driving, but allow hands-free phone use feed the misconception that hands-free cell phones are safer. Research such as a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has shown that whether handheld or hands-free, it is the conversation that is the distraction.
Drivers using a cell phone while driving are far more likely to be involved in a crash, using either method.
House Bill 2070, House Bill 1375 and Senate Bill 143 seek to ban texting while driving.
An amendment to H.B. 67 would expand the state’s careless driving statute to include reckless driving caused by distractions including interactive wireless communications devices, electronic, electrical or mechanical devices, eating, drinking, grooming and reading.
Nope, you got to be kidding about the latter four activities – talk about Big Brother encroaching on our lives. And that last activity – how are you supposed to read a map?
Nineteen states including nearby New Jersey have laws on the books banning texting while driving; seven others have pending legislation.
Photo ID Cards
Starting last week, PennDOT is making photo identification cards available to Pennsylvania residents aged 10 and older. The previous minimum age requirement to obtain a photo ID card was 16.
The law took effect Nov. 29. All other requirements for obtaining a Pennsylvania photo ID card remain the same.
PennDOT reminds individuals under 18 applying for a state photo ID card that a parent, guardian or person acting in loco parentis must accompany them to a PennDOT License Center.
To locate a PennDOT Driver License Center, visit the Locations Information Center on the Driver and Vehicle Services Web site, www.dmv.state.pa.us.
The form DL-54A, “Application for Initial Photo Identification Card,” is available on the Web site.
An individual must bring the form completed, along with the required identity documents and a fee of $12 to a PennDOT Driver License Center to obtain the photo ID.
Vets License Plates
Honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces have a new way to proudly display their service as PennDOT has a new series of military license plates honoring vets of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
What happened to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard?
The new plates feature the standard Pennsylvania license plate colors of blue, white and yellow, along with the applicable branch of service emblem or logo on the left side of the plate.
Pennsylvania is printed at the top of the plate, with the name of the applicable branch of service at the bottom.
To obtain one of these plates, honorably discharged vets must complete and mail Form MV-150, Application for U.S. Military Veteran Registration Plate, to PennDOT and include a certified copy of their DD-214 form, along with a $20 fee.
The MV-150 form is available on PennDOT’s Web site, www.dmv.state.pa.us.
New Traffic Light
A new traffic signal is now operating at the intersection of Route 252 (Darby Paoli Road) and White Horse Road in Newtown, Delaware County, and Easttown Township, Chester County, PennDOT said. The project was completed four weeks ahead of schedule and was financed with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Previously, the intersection operated only with a stop sign on White Horse Road.
PennDOT’s contractor began construction on Sept. 28 under a $129,291 contract to enhance traffic flow and safety at the intersection.
The new traffic signal includes emergency pre-emption equipment to allow emergency vehicles to receive priority control through the intersection, a video detection system to maximize the green light time on Route 252 and an advance green phase for left turns onto White Horse Road from Route 252 North.
About 20,000 vehicles a day travel on Route 252 through the intersection and the presence of a new traffic signal is allowing White Horse Road motorists to turn safely onto Route 252.
Newtown funded the engineering design phase of the project.
Blue Route Work
Nighttime lane closures 10 p.m.-5 a.m. are scheduled on the Blue Route (I-476) in Montgomery County tonight through Thursday for continuing construction between the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Mid-County Interchange and I-76 Interchange.
Lane restrictions will be in place as crews continue to work in preparation for shifting construction from the northbound I-476 bridge over the Schuylkill River to the southbound crossing in early January, and to repave shoulders and build crossovers for the start of reconstruction in early 2010 on 3.2 miles of I-476 South.
Traffic Delays
U.S. Route 322 East (Conchester Highway) – Bethel and Upper Chichester, Chester Water Authority installation, lane restrictions between Creek Parkway and U.S. Route 1, 7 p.m.-6 a.m. weekdays through Dec. 11.
Baltimore Pike (Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement between Darlington Road and Station Road, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12. Cost is $4.27 million; contractor is J.D. Eckman Inc.
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.
“Road Watch” appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.