Part of Route 30 Bypass to be widened to 6 lanes

PennDOT plans $835-million project to reconstruct bypass; construction may not begin until 2025

DOWNINGTOWN » Rush hour on the Route 30 bypass can be brutal, especially eastbound from the Reeceville Road interchange in Caln to Route 322 in Downingtown. On some mornings, it’s a parking lot.

When it was built nearly 60 years ago, the 14-mile corridor was designed to handle about 10,000 vehicles daily. Today, the bypass can see up to 75,000 vehicles daily, especially at the Norwood Road and Route 113 interchange. That’s about to change. The Route 30 Bypass reconstruction project, expected to cost $835 million, is now in the design stage, and PennDOT officials are encouraging residents to go to the project’s website, www. us30-chesco.com to offer ideas. The project involves both federal and state funds. It includes widening to three lanes each direction in the section from Reeceville Road to Downingtown.

But don’t expect a smooth ride anytime soon. Tim Stevenson, PennDOT’s design portfolio manager at District 6-0, said construction may not begin until 2025,

perhaps longer. Within the next two to four years, preliminary engineering environmental evaluation will be completed, and in two to four years after that, the final design.

“We’re trying to get input for the design phase now,” Stevenson said. “Clearly, there will be work going on at that corridor for a decade or more.”

When the bypass was constructed in the 1960s with reinforced cement concrete, there were 210,000 people living in Chester County. Today, that number has nearly tripled, to more than a half-a-million people. That adds up to congestion on many of the major roads, including the Route 30 Bypass.

According to a recent PennDOT report, many locations within the Route 30 Bypass corridor have accident rates that exceed the statewide average for the same type of highway.

And along the length of the Route 30 Bypass, there are 18 substandard bridge structures due to insufficient vertical clearance, lateral clearance and curb-tocurb widths.

The corridor reconstruction is broken up into five projects.

U.S. Route 30 and Route 10

This consists of a 1.7-mile corridor of Route 30 in Sadsbury and West Sadsbury, west of Route 10 to 1,000 feet east of the Old Mill Road overpass. Improvements are planned to Route 10 and Business Route 30.

Route 82

This project consists of a 2.1-mile corridor of Route 30 in Valley Township and Coatesville, covering the Wagontown Road overpass to about 2,000 feet west of Reeceville Road. This includes improvements to the Route 30 and Route 82 interchange and also the Route 340 and Route 82 intersection.

Airport Road

This is a 3.0-mile corridor of Route 30 in Sadsbury, Valley and West Caln townships, extending from the Old Mill Road overpass to 950 feet east of the Wagontown Road overpass. It includes improvements to the interchange at Route 30 and Airport Road.

Eastern Route 30 Bypass

This calls for widening the roadway from two lanes in each direction to three 12-foot lanes in each direction, complete with 12foot shoulders and a median barrier. Interchange improvements are scheduled on Route 340, Route 322 and Route 113/Norwood Road. The preliminary plan calls for the interchanges to be reconstructed to allow for ramp deceleration and acceleration lanes.

Signage

Improvements are planned to the Intelligent Transportation System electronic displays and traffic management support. Although there are traffic cameras installed now in the eastern section of the Route 30 Bypass, there are none from the Reeceville Road interchange to Sadsbury Township.

The Route 30 Bypass will continue to be maintained while the project is in the planning stages, though these improvements are not related to the reconstruction project, Stevenson said. Pavement areas will be resurfaced and median work remediation will continue as needed.

Stevenson said public input on the reconstruction project is vital. The next public input session is scheduled sometime in the fall, and it will be listed on www.us30-chesco.com.

“The timing is now to advance this project,” Stevenson said. “There is a clear need.”

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The western end of the Route 30 Coatesville Downingtown Bypass. PennDOT is planning to reconstruct part of the Route 30 Bypass and widen the bypass to six lanes through the Coatesville and Downingtown areas.

PETE BANNAN —DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The Route 30 Coatesville Downingtown Bypass looking west near Downingtown. PennDOT is planning to reconstruct part of the Route 30 Bypass and widen the bypass to six lanes through the Coatesville and Downingtown areas.

The Route 30 Coatesville Downingtown Bypass from the Airport Rd. overpass looking east.

The Route 30 Coatesville Downingtown Bypass near the Route 82 exit to Coatesville.

The Route 30 Coatesville Downingtown Bypass heading west at Thorndale.