King of Prussia, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has completed three years of construction today on the $62.6 million Section 101 contract to widen and improve 2.5 miles of U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) and has opened the highway to two lanes in each direction from U.S 1 (Baltimore Pike) to Clayton Park in Concord Township, Delaware County.

In addition to widening the heavily traveled east-west suburban artery to two eastbound and two westbound travel lanes, installing a grass median and widening shoulders, the Section 101 project included improvements to seven intersections within the project corridor, including:

• U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike): Widened to include two left turn lanes, a through lane and a right turn lane from westbound U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) and two lanes eastbound, plus upgraded traffic signals;
• Evergreen Drive: Widened to include an eastbound right turn lane and a westbound left turn lane, plus upgraded traffic signals;
• Spring Valley Road: Widened to include eastbound and westbound right turn lanes;
• Fellowship Drive/Station Road North: Widened to include eastbound and westbound left turn lanes and right turn lanes, plus upgraded traffic signals;
• Station Road South: Widened to include an eastbound right turn lane;
• Cambridge Drive: Widened to include an eastbound right turn lane and westbound left turn lane;
• Merion Drive: Widened to include an eastbound right turn lane;
• Mattson Road/Featherbed Lane: Widened to include eastbound and westbound left and right turn lanes, plus new traffic signals; and
• Clayton Park Drive: Widened to include an eastbound right turn lane.

Under this project, two U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) bridges - over Webb Creek/SEPTA lines and over Smithbridge Road — were replaced with new, wider structures. Five retaining walls were constructed to support the roadway and embankments in widened areas, and 1,500 feet of sound barrier wall was installed along the eastbound lanes between Station Road South and Cambridge Drive. Three dynamic message signs and six closed-circuit TV cameras were installed to optimize traffic flow along the corridor.

While major construction has been completed on the project, the contractor will be performing various minor construction activities that will have minimal impact on traffic.

Section 101 is the first-of-four phases of the overall projects to improve travel and safety on a 6.7-mile section of U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) between U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) and Interstate 95 in Concord, Bethel and Upper Chichester townships.

Section CSX, will replace the U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway) bridge over the CSX railroad and Bethel Road, and improve the adjacent Bethel Road Interchange during construction beginning in late 2021.

Section 103, scheduled for construction in 2023, will widen the highway and reconstruct the four-lane section from Chelsea Parkway/Bethel Avenue through the Route 452/Market Street Interchange.

Section 102, scheduled for construction in 2024, will widen and improve U.S. 322 (Conchester Highway), its intersections, and the Route 291 (Foulk Road) Interchange between Garnet Mine Road and Chelsea Parkway/Bethel Avenue in Bethel Township.

The Section 101 contract, which began construction in early 2017 and was completed on-schedule, was financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds. J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, Chester County, was the general contractor on the project.

For more information on the U.S. 322 reconstruction program, visit www.us322conchester.com.

For a complete list of construction projects impacting state-owned highways in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, visit www.penndot.gov/District6TrafficBulletin.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com or downloading the 511PA application for iPhone and Android devices. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/phillypenndot and Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.

MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Rudolph, 610-205-6800

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