Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Completion of Route 202 work frees commuters of daily traffic jams
For more than a decade, motorists on the main north-south artery in Chester County had to wait. In August, the barriers came down
Companies, their employees and residents of Chester County and the region breathed a sigh of relief and pressed down on the gas pedal in August when construction barriers finally came down on Route 202 in the Great Valley area.
The economic impact – and psychological relief – of not having regular traffic jams on the main north-south artery through Chester County makes completion of the work on the road one of the top business and consumer stories of 2016.
“This is a tremendous milestone for 202 commuters and for improving travel throughout Chester County,” said Gene Blaum, a longtime employee of
“We are thrilled to deliver this new six-lane expressway to the more than 70,000 motorists who drive along this part of U.S. 202 each day.” – PennDOT Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards
the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT.
Indeed, construction on the road created traffic headaches for drivers from King of Prussia to West Chester, especially during the morning and afternoon commutes. One of those who needed to use the road daily for his job expressed the frustration to the Daily Local News as the road was about to be cleared of construction for the first time in more than a decade.
“There isn’t a practical alternative to Route 202 on my daily commute between Exton and Philadelphia,” said Paul Tomkiewicz, an engineer by trade. “Although I understand and even appreciate the need for improvements, it’s been frustrating. The southbound backup during the evening commute is usually upwards of a mile.
“Drivers are increasingly impatient, and the area entering the work zone is like a death merge into a cattle chute,” Tomkiewicz said. “It will be such a relief when the barriers come down to reveal the new surface and extra lane. All that time, effort and money, and one morning any signs of construction will be gone with little fanfare. The only rejoice will be three roomy lanes of unimpeded traffic.”
In the latest stretch of work, which was in the area of the Route 401 interchange, the road was widened
by one lane in each direction to a total of six lanes. Six bridges were replaced and electronic signs and traffic cameras were installed. An earlier stage – four miles starting from just south of the Route 252 interchange in Tredyffrin heading south to just north of Route 401 in East Whiteland – took place from April 2011 to September 2014.
PennDOT Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards attended a ribbon cutting for the road in August.
“We are thrilled to deliver this new six-lane expressway to the more than 70,000 motorists who drive along this part of U.S. 202 each day,” Richards said. “Drivers have quickly experienced the benefits of this newly expanded highway since its full opening last week. The transportation value of this improvement project to Chester County and the Philadelphia region cannot be overstated. This investment of nearly $300 million transformed an old, outdated highway into a modern expressway capable of moving commuter and commercial traffic smoothly and safely along this heavily traveled corridor.”
Organizations that represent businesses in the area agreed completion of the work is a boost to the area’s economy.
“The chamber joins its members and the thousands of commuters – business owners, employees and customers – in celebrating the end of this project,” said Guy Ciarrocchi, president and CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry. “As its neared its end, we have seen glimmers of hope, glimmers of commuting without wasting time in traffic jams. Let’s hope that these new lanes increase not only productivity but give us a few more minutes at home with our families, too.”
Alas, the wide open road will not last long on Route 202. The department is scheduled in the spring to start work on two long Route 202 bridges that span railroad tracks just south of Route 30. That work will lead to a change in traffic patterns but PennDOT plans to keep that section four lanes so backups should not be as severe as they were with the previous work, Blaum said in August.