New bike lanes may narrow West High Street
POTTSTOWN » The planned repaving of West High Street may result in fewer travel lanes there.
PennDOT plans a repaving project of the road section from Manatawny Street to the Berks County line this spring, according to Borough Manager Justin Keller.
In conjunction with the work, Montgomery County officials have asked the borough if it wants to consider extending its bike lane network.
The request is part of a larger county bike lane extension plan which also affects Ridge Pike in Collegeville, Trappe, Upper Providence and Limerick.
Keller told the borough council during its March 3 meeting that the county has determined there is room for two travel lanes, a center turn lane, and two bike lanes, rather than the current four travel lanes.
That section of West High Street “does not warrant four lanes and reducing it to two lanes would not impact traffic flow,” Keller said.
The question has also been put to West Pottsgrove Township.
If township officials there agree, the bike lanes that currently run through downtown
Pottstown would extend to the Berks County line.
“We think it would be a nice extension of the (bike lane) system we have,” said, Keller, adding, it would connect the Bright
Hope neighborhood and Barth Elementary School to the biking system that cross-crosses much of the borough.
Currently, Pottstown has a bike lane network that connects to all schools but Barth Elementary and also has longer routes on East High Street and Wilson Street.
If the change is made, PennDOT would do the work, but the borough would be responsible for the repainting after it fades, Keller said.
At its March 2 meeting, Limerick Township Supervisors voted in favor of adding bike lanes to most of Ridge Pike, which will be repaved by PennDOT from Route 29 in Collegeville all the way to Limerick’s western border.
The section of Ridge Pike that runs through Limerick Village, however, is too narrow to allow the addition of bike lanes without losing invaluable parking there, so it will not stop there.
However, the supervisors did request that the agencies consider extending the bike lanes on the western side of Limerick Village to continue along Ridge Pike to the border with Lower Pottsgrove.