DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Report: 2022 could see 309 Connector changes
TOWAMENCIN » Changes could be coming to a traffic trouble spot on Sumneytown Pike as soon as next year.
Township officials heard an update Wednesday night on the next steps on the long-discussed Route 309 connector project, including changes on Sumneytown Pike.
“I think this is an incremental positive,” said traffic engineer Chad Dixson.
The Route 309 Connector is a planned highway connection between Route 309 in Hilltown Township and Route 476 in Towamencin that would run in part along Wambold Road and parallel to Derstine Road. The southern phase of the connector featuring capacity upgrades along Wambold was finished in 2012, the second phase would see a new roadway constructed from Allentown Road north to Township Line Road near Souderton Pike, and a third phase would add more new roadway north from Souderton Pike to a new interchange with 309 in Hatfield and Hilltown townships.
Dixson gave Towamencin’s supervisors an update Wednesday night on the latest changes to phase two, an updated timeline on phase three, and changes in Towamencin being discussed as part of both. Phase two is currently in the bidding process, with a bid for construction likely to be awarded “within the next couple of months or so,” according to the engineer.
“Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin on early 2022 on phase two, and as they get through the bidding process, and have that finalized, we expect more information will be shared with the municipalities,” he said. Phase three is still in the design and engineering phase, and public meetings could be held in late 2021 or early 2022 to gather feedback from residents along the route. Environmental clearances could be secured in 2022 ahead of final design work, and current estimates are that construction on phase three
would start in 2026, depending on funding.
Recent talks between PennDOT and local municipalities’ traffic engineers along the phase two route have indicated the plans for phase two include a new coordinated traffic signal system along Wambold, which Dixson termed “the latest and greatest” and should improve traffic flow along that route. A second change drew more discussion: on Sumneytown Pike, at the slip ramp to the Northeast Extension, PennDOT’s plans call for the center eastbound through-lane on Sumneytown to be converted to a second left-turn lane into the turnpike.
“Currently Sumneytown Pike, as you are coming in the eastbound direction from Lower Salford, is one travel lane, and then as it approaches Old Forty Foot Road and the turnpike slip ramp it widens out to two through-lanes, and a leftturn lane,” Dixson said.
As he spoke, Dixson showed a series of slides with overhead photos of the area in question, and a sketch plan drawing showing the converted turn-lane on Sumneytown, with traffic patterns indicating two lanes flowing onto the turnpike entrance.
“The idea is to lengthen those lanes even more, provide more stacking to prevent those vehicles from sitting in a through-lane, and blocking all that traffic from getting through this area,” he said.
Supervisor Laura Smith asked if the township could ask PennDOT to revisit widening Sumneytown to add another lane in that area. Dixson said they could, and that work would likely be considered a separate project from phase three to reduce the environmental clearances needed.
Supervisor Dan Bell added that he thought the current single left-turn lane was a “significant frustration point,” causing backups for through traffic, and asked if the impact of losing a through-lane had been studied; Dixson said that study will likely be done in the upcoming weeks as the design is finalized.
“Are we just trading one problem for another? Are we trading a lefthand problem for a passthrough eastbound problem?” Bell said; Dixson answered that he thought the new left lane would be an improvement over current conditions.
Board Chairman Chuck Wilson added that he thought the single throughlane “is just not gonna work, so I think we should be pretty proactive in pushing PennDOT to expand that project to two lanes.” Supervisor Dan Littley asked if the construction would be done at night, and Dixson said those details weren’t available yet, while supervisor Rich Marino said he thought the two lanes were only a partial fix.
“This is a Band-Aid to get us through. This is a problem they created, with that slip ramp,” Marino said. “We’re not satisfied with this at all. I know we’ve made our displeasure known, and we continue to, but what they’re proposing for phase three is not acceptable.”
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7:30 p.m. on Nov, 10 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www. Towamencin.org.