January 2019 — Crews in early January shifted a lane of eastbound and westbound traffic onto the newly-constructed section of roadway between U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) and Fellowship Drive, substantially completing Stage 1 construction on almost a mile of the 2.6-mile long, $62.6 project to widen and improve U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) from U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) to Clayton Park Drive in Delaware County.
With the shift, the contractor began Stage 2 work to widen the westbound side of the highway along the .8 mile stretch of roadway at the western end of the project.
Crews over the winter will begin removing the original eastbound and westbound pavement and installing the new stormwater management system at that western end of the project, including a large drainage culvert under the roadway.
Meanwhile, work continues on construction of a new intersection of the U.S. 322/U.S. 1 intersection. The separate right turn lane from northbound U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) is closed during construction at the intersection, requiring motorists heading to eastbound U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) to turn right at the traffic signal.
Improvements to the eastbound side of the intersection at Evergreen Drive and Cambridge Drive have been completed. Cambridge Drive was reopened in late 2018. At other intersections, work continues on eastbound-side improvements at Station Road south, Spring Valley Road and Merion Drive which will be closed this spring.
East of Fellowship Drive, work continues as conditions permit to complete construction of the remaining segments of the two new eastbound lanes. Several layers of new eastbound pavement are in place across large sections of the remaining eastbound work zone between Fellowship Drive and Clayton Park Drive.
Construction continues on the eastbound side of the new bridge over Webb Creek, where the steel superstructure is in place awaiting placement of the concrete deck in early spring. Crews this winter will complete installation of a new gas main on the eastbound side of the new bridge.
The eastbound section of the new bridge over Smithbridge Road is in place.
East of Station Road south, where some 1,200 feet of new sound barrier walls are now in place, crews have cut into the embankment and graded the footprint for the two new lanes that will connect with the paved area on the opposite side of the hill (above).
Once the remaining eastbound paving and bridge work is completed this spring, a lane of eastbound and westbound traffic will be shifted onto the newly constructed eastbound lanes. Demolition and excavation will then get underway to build the two new westbound lanes along the entire 2.6 miles of the project.
Seven of the project’s eight stormwater drainage basins have been constructed on both sides of the highway, along with piping to carry storm water away from the highway.
Two lanes of traffic are being maintained on the existing U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) during peak hour travel. Periodic flagger-controlled lane restrictions remain in place Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and from 7:00 PM and 6:00 AM, for various operations as construction advances along the corridor.
The work is part of a $62.6 million Section 101 contract to reconstruct, widen and upgrade traffic signals on 2.5 miles of U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) from U.S 1 (Baltimore Pike) to just east of Featherbed Lane/Mattson Road near Clayton Park in Concord Township, Delaware County. Current western section construction is the first of two mainline PennDOT construction projects to improve travel and safety on a 6.7-mile section of U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway).
Construction of replacement wetlands (Section MIT) is substantially completed.
The eastern half of the project, Section 102, remains under design. Section 102 will improve the highway and its intersections and interchanges from east of Clayton Park Drive to just east of Route 452 (Market Street) in Bethel and Upper Chichester townships. Construction on Section 102 is projected to begin in late 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 (Section CSX) is under design and not yet scheduled for construction.
