Roadwork requires patience from drivers

Be careful what you wish for. That phrase is an appropriate expression for ongoing transportation construction on area Pennsylvania highways.

Work on Route 422is sure to cause grumbling but it’s a necessary evil.

The condition of roads and bridges in our region that has motorists often grumbling about the need for repair has resulted in yet another bridge project that will have motorists grumbling about the delays on their Route 422 commute.

Route 422 motorists have been dealing for the past 18 months with lane closures and construction between the Sanatoga and Route 724 interchanges in Lower Pottsgrove. That $73.3 million PennDOT project is now being joined by another $36 million bridge project at the North CoventryWest Pottsgrove township line on 422.

PennDOT officials announced this week that work will begin Monday to replace the western-most Route 422 bridges over the Schuylkill River.

The replacement of the twin bridges, built in 1965, is the second of six projects in PennDOT’s multi-phase program to rebuild and improve seven miles of Route 422 from the Berks County line to the Sanatoga interchange, according to officials.

One travel lane in each direction will remain open during construction, as crews work through September 2018 to replace the six-span westbound and eastbound structures in three stages.

The three-stage improvement plan consists of replacing the existing westbound Route 422 structure, then replacing the eastbound Route 422 bridge, and rebuilding the center median.

The project coincides with another bridge replacement project on River Bridge Road

Work will begin on Monday to replace the western-most Route 422 bridges over the Schuylkill River.

between Route 422 and Route 724 that has been ongoing for 12 months. Motorists will not be able to detour off 422 along that route; instead, the detour for the closed River Bridge Road follows the route soon to be altered with the 422 work.

This latest project is part of a $2.3 billion investment in Pennsylvania’s transportation system, authorized by the Act 89 transportation bill signed into law last year.

Regionally, a sizeable chunk of that money is going toward repair and rebuilding of bridges that span the Schuylkill River.

A new bridge was recently opened in Birdsboro on Route 345, and other projects under discussion include a future replacement of the Keim Street Bridge and Hanover Street bridge work in Pottstown.

But the work comes with some pain.

The delays will affect drivers on the western edge of the Pottstown area, who then will face their next delay on the eastern edge at the Armand Hammer Boulevard interchange. The narrowed lanes and 40 mile-per-hour reduced speed through that area have been in effect for months, and more than one crash has occurred as a result of drivers not properly negotiating their way through the work zone.

Yet another construction delay hits 422 drivers as they approach Trooper where a realignment of the interchange is underway.

By the time drivers reach that third work zone, patience is wearing thin.

That’s where the word of caution is necessary. Bridge replacement and roadwork was neglected for far too long in Pennsylvania, and the current projects are needed to maintain safety on the roadways.

We urge drivers on 422 to exercise caution in work zones, slow down, allow extra time and be aware of construction workers and other drivers, while navigating through the path to safer travel.

We know it’s not easy, but better roads is what we wished for, and we must be patient and careful.