U.S. Route 202 in Pennsylvania is a 59 mi.-long (94.9 km) highway that connects New Jersey to the north with Delaware to the south and serves as a major commuter route and vital link for business and industry in the tri-state region. The highway varies in size from a two-lane road to a four-lane expressway, with traffic volumes ranging from 17,000 to 105,000 vehicles a day. Lane closures started last March on westbound I-76 at U.S. 202 ramps as PennDOT enters its fourth year of its five year, $280 million project to widen U.S. 202 to six lanes and improve interchanges at I-76 and U.S. 422.

Some of the fastest growing areas in the Greater Philadelphia Region are located along U.S. 202. Many of these areas have experienced rapid residential, commercial and light industrial growth, the result of acres of undeveloped land and the corridor’s reputation as a high-tech growth area.

Recognizing the importance of U.S. 202 and the very real need to increase its capacity to relieve congestion and meet existing and future travel demands, public and private interests have joined together to find ways to make much-needed improvements. Through this joint public/private partnership, a number of projects and studies currently are in progress to examine both short-term and long-term improvements.

Crews returned to continue the project to widen and improve five mi. (8 km) of U.S. Route 202 in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, and Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. Barriers have been set on Route 202 to continue rebuilding and widening the highway from four lanes to six between the bridge over North Valley Road and Gulph Road. The project also includes building new ramps to improve Route 202’s interchanges at Interstate 76 and U.S. Route 422. This project is scheduled to finish in late 2003.

The Route 202 Improvement Project is being constructed under four contracts. Glasgow Inc., of Glenside, PA, is the general contractor on the $64 million contract that began in March 1999 and will finish by July 2002. This contract covers Route 202 from just south of Route 422 to the bridge over North Valley Road.

Allan A. Myers L.P., of Worcester, PA, is the general contractor on the $52 million contract that began in April 2000 and finished this spring. The contract consisted of ramp construction at the Route 202/422 interchange. Myers also is the general contractor on the $109 million contract that covers Route 202 between Route 422 and Gulph Road. This contract began last spring and will finish in late 2003.

Myers is the general contractor on the $44.4 million contract that began last November to widen I-76, build new ramps at the I-76/Route 202 interchange, and build new railroad bridges over I-76 and South Gulph Road. This contract will finish in late 2003.

Jeff Siddens, of Allan A. Myers, is supervising the three portions of the Route 309 project — 402, 404 and 405. “We are now working on constructing the abutment concrete on the west side of the highway,” he said. “The center pier, we are extracting existing piles and working on limited mobility grouting under the footing. We are also dealing with the early stages of the eastern abutment with limited mobility grouting.”

Siddens said that some of the equipment used on these portions of the project include an American 7150 crane, a Manitowoc 222 crane, and a Grove 65 ton (58.5 t) RT just to name a few.

Tom Loughery, superintendent of Glasgow Construction, is overseeing the 402 portion of the project, which is nearing completion. “We are paving right now with open-graded asphalt treated base course,” said Loughery. “The equipment we’re using now is a Gradall 5100 and a Blaw-Knox R-100 shoulder widener. At this point, we ripped out the old shoulders and are reconstructing the new median shoulder with base course concrete from Old Eagle School Road to North Valley Road.”

As for the 404 portion (King of Prussia interchange at U.S. 422 and Interstate 76) of the Route 202 project, Tom Kinsman is the project manager representing Allan A. Myers L.P. “We are working on a combination of different things right now including excavation and paving,” said Kinsman. “The equipment used right now are Cat and Komatsu excavators and CMI concrete pavers.”

The 405 portion of the project includes the reconstruction of several railroad bridges. Gerard Mauer, also of Myers, said that the work on this segment of the project includes widening of Interstate 76 to accommodate two new ramps. A new bridge also will be constructed to carry the ramp north to I-76 over the new ramp to Route 202 south. In addition, a new sound barrier wall will be constructed this year.

Other projects and studies currently underway include:

• PA 611 to PA 309 (section 700) 8.9 mi. (14.3 km)

Montgomery County — Montgomery Township and in Bucks County, Chalfont and New Britain boroughs, and New Britain, Warrington and Doylestown townships

This stretch of U.S. 202 primarily has two lanes with medium density residential and commercial land use.

• PA 309 to Johnson Highway (section 600) 9 mi. (14.5 km)

Montgomery County East Norriton, Whitpain, Lower Gwynedd, Upper Gwynedd and Montgomery townships

This section primarily has two lanes passing through medium-to-high density commercial land use areas. Frequent delays are experienced in the more heavily-developed sections.

• Johnson Highway to Gulph Road (section 500) 5 mi. (8 km)

Montgomery County —Upper Merion Township, and Bridgeport and Norristown boroughs

U.S. 202 primarily is a four-lane arterial roadway between Gulph Road and Norristown Borough, but within the borough it becomes part of the local street system. Improving traffic flow on U.S. 202 through Norristown is being examined.

• North Valley Road to U.S. 30 (section 300) 7 mi. (11.3 km)

Chester County —Tredyffrin and East Whiteland townships

This stretch of U.S. 202 is a four lane, limited access expressway that carries more traffic than it was designed to handle. The area has experienced rapid development during the past decade. Construction will involve widening this portion of U.S. 202.

• US 30 to Matlack Street (section 200) 6 mi. (9.6 km)

Located in Chester County (West Goshen, East Goshen and West Whiteland townships)

This section of U.S. 202 is a four-lane, limited access expressway with closely spaced interchanges. On the 1997-2008 12-Year Program, engineering for widening this section is on the 2nd Four Years; right-of-way and construction are on the 3rd Four Years. There is no active project to widen this section of U.S. 202.

• Matlack Street to Delaware (section 100)

8 mi. (12.9 km)

Located in Delaware County (Concord, Chadds Ford and Thornbury townships) and Chester County (West Goshen, Westtown, Thornbury and Birmingham townships)

This part of U.S. 202 is a four-lane, signalized highway with almost unlimited access. The intersection of U.S. 202 and U.S. 1 in Concord and Chadds Ford townships is heavily developed and congested. Approximately 78,000 vehicles travel through the intersection each day (42,800 on U.S. 202 and 35,000 on U.S. 1).

PennDOT District Administrator Andrew L. Warren said motorists this year will encounter traffic pattern changes and travel restrictions on Route 202, I-76, and Route 422, and he emphasized that they should allow for more time to drive through the construction areas.

“From a motorists’ perspective, this construction season will be difficult because of daylong lane closures on westbound I-76 and traffic pattern shifts on Route 202,” Warren said. “While there is light at the end of the tunnel with the project past the midway point, we still have a considerable amount of work to do, especially at the Route 202/I-76 interchange.”

Warren said PennDOT will completely finish the 4-mi. (6.4 km) stretch of Route 202 between North Valley Road and Old Eagle School Road this summer after the contractor rebuilds the center median.

On Route 202, Penn-

DOT will keep two travel lanes open in each direction during construction, but motorists will face nighttime lane closures Sunday through Thursday nights. In addition to the round-the-clock lane closures on westbound I-76 at the Route 202 interchange, I-76 motorists also will encounter nighttime and weekend lane closures for the construction of a new railroad bridge over the expressway just east of Route 202.

The major travel restrictions to occur this year on Route 202, I-76, and Route 422 include:

• Northbound and southbound Route 202 traffic riding in two-lane chutes between South Warner Road and Old Eagle School Road for pavement reconstruction. All Route 202 traffic will ride on the northbound lanes from mid-March to late June and on the southbound lanes from early July to October.

• Closing lanes on weeknights and weekends on Route 202 between North Valley Road and Old Eagle School Road from March to July for median construction. Lane closures will occur Sundays through Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m.

• Reducing westbound

I-76 to one lane alongside the ramps leading to and from Route 202 for ramp construction from March to October.

• Northbound and southbound Route 202 traffic will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes at Gulph Road for construction of Abrams Run box culvert under the southbound lanes. In addition, Gulph Road will be reduced to two lanes on each side of Route 202 from April to October 2002.

Three new ramps will open this year. They are the Route 422 East ramp to East Swedesford Road (summer opening), the County Line Road ramp to Route 422 West, and the County Line Road ramp to Route 202 North. The County Line road ramps will open this fall.

As for ramp closures, the Route 422 East ramp to South Warner Road will permanently close this summer, and the Route 202 South ramp to I-76 East will close from October 2002 to August 2003 for reconstruction.

This year, PennDOT will continue to install Intelligent Transportation System equipment on Route 202 between State Route 100 and Henderson Road; I-76 between Route 202 and Conshohocken; and Interstate 476 between U.S. Route 30 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Interchange. This system consists of 46 closed-circuit television cameras, 15 permanent and portable variable message signs, and microwave detectors to improve incident detection. System components were installed last year on Route 422 between Route 202 and State Route 29.

Three Incentive/Disincentive (I/D) clauses will be in effect this year to expedite construction. There is a $30,000-a-day I/D to complete Route 202 work between Old Eagle School Road and Gulph Road by October 31; $30,000-a-day I/D to finish median construction on Route 202 between North Valley Road and Old Eagle School Road by July 3; and a $30,000-a-day I/D to complete the new Norfolk Southern Railroad bridges over I-76 and South Gulph Road by December 15.

To assist commuters during construction, Penn-DOT provided $4.3 million for additional SEPTA transit service along the Route 202 corridor and for a special intercorporate shuttle service for citizens working in key business centers along the corridor.

The Route 202 Improvement Project is financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds. In addition, Tredyffrin Township contributed $6 million to the project and Upper Merion Township will pay 20 percent of the cost to replace the railroad bridge over South Gulph Road and 100 percent of the cost for associated improvements on South Gulph Road.