Long-awaited Conchester Highway will improve traffic flow, safety

​It has been nearly 20 years since the U.S. Government committed the first federal money to the U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) Improvement Project. Today, Governor Tom Wolf and PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards officially kicked off work on the first of two mainline projects​ to widen and reconstruct a 6.7-mile section of the highway in Delaware County, which will increase capacity and greatly improve safety.

"The state transportation plan is allowing this project to start faster than it would have otherwise, and we're pleased to bring these improvements to this region faster," Richards said. "This will make a huge difference for the tens of thousands of people who use the highway to connect to Interstate 95, Philadelphia International Airport and New Jersey."

This first section of the project will widen from two lanes to four lanes the western section of U.S. 322 from U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) to just east of Mattson Road/Featherbed Lane near Clayton Park Drive in Concord Township. There will also be a grass median separating the eastbound and westbound travel lanes.

• Reconstructing, widening, and upgrading five intersections to provide four through lanes and turn lanes on U.S. 322 at Evergreen Drive, Fellowship Drive/Station Road, Cambridge Drive, Featherbed Lane/Mattson Road, and Clayton Park Drive;
• Upgrading traffic signals on U.S. 322 at U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike), Evergreen Drive, Fellowship Drive/Station Road, and Featherbed Lane/Mattson Road;
• Eliminating through and left-turn movements on Spring Valley Road, Merion Drive, Cambridge Drive, Station Road, and Clayton Park Drive; and
• Installing three dynamic message signs, six closed-circuit TV cameras, and Bluetooth tag readers to optimize traffic flow.

ENHANCING TRAFFIC FLOW AND SAFETY

Adding the 10-foot wide mountable curbed grass median through much of the project area will limit the locations where vehicles can cross in front of traffic to signal-controlled intersections, significantly reducing the potential for serious crashes involving vehicles crossing the highway.

Left turns to and from U.S. 322 will be eliminated at five intersections, and seven existing intersections will be reconstructed to include new traffic signals and left- and right-turn lanes. Those seven intersections will include state-of-the-art adaptive traffic signals, which adjust the signals' light cycles to accommodate changing traffic patterns and volume in real-time. This will promote better traffic flow and help ease congestion by equitably distributing green light time for all traffic movements.

DURING CONSTRUCTION

During construction, U.S. 322 between U.S. 1 and Clayton Park Drive will remain open to one lane of traffic in each direction during peak travel times. Periodic flagger-controlled lane restrictions may occur Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and from 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM, for various operations as construction advances along the corridor.

Work on the first mainline section is scheduled to be completed in fall 2020. An additional contract to replace the U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) bridge over the CSX railroad and Bethel Road as well as improvements to the adjacent Bethel Road Interchange is under design and not yet scheduled for construction.

For more information on the project, or to get updated construction details and photos, visit us322conchester.com. There, you will also be able to find travel information for commuters, a form for submitting questions or comments, and an email subscription service for receiving news and other information about the projects. You may also check travel conditions around the construction area — or PennDOT's 40,000 roadway miles statewide — by visiting 511PA.com.

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