Rep. Milne Provides Update on Area Pothole Situation

Rep. Duane Milne (R-167th) sent the following letter to constituents on Monday to update them about progress dealing with area potholes:

With Memorial Day weekend in the rear view mirror, we are all looking forward to our summer drives here, there and everywhere. The condition of some of our roadways, though, continually harkens us back to the harsh and damaging winter we just endured. 

Understandably, we are all frustrated with attempting to drive safely while simultaneously avoiding the crater-like potholes on some roads. Part of the challenge of recovery and repair from the brunt of this winter is that the amount of rain this spring has proved problematic for PennDOT’s efforts to patch and pave. In many places that PennDOT actually has repaired, patches have since popped out. More prolonged stretches of dryer, warmer weather have been needed in order to allow the patches to take a more permanent hold. 

Now that, hopefully, we are generally at that point in the calendar, I have helped secure funding so that state roads in our area can be fixed. What follows is an update on the status of repair on some of the major state roads. 

Roadmap to a Smoother Ride: 

Route 30 
The stretch from Route 29 to Planebrook Road has been patched a couple times. Eastbound is generally holding up; some potholes have resurfaced westbound, and those will be treated again. 

Along Route 30 from Route 252 to Daylesford Road, numerous potholes were patched as an interim step. More fundamentally, Route 30 will be fully repaved from Route 252 and moving eastward, with the project scheduled to commence this July. 

Route 422 – 76 – 202 Area of Operations 
Construction will begin in a matter of weeks in the general vicinity of the nexus of Routes 202 and 422 and the I-76 interchanges. The focus will be removal of deteriorating concrete and patched areas and then laying down new asphalt. The four ramps linking these roads all will be resurfaced. A completion of late 2014 is expected. 

Route 252 
A four-mile length of Route 252 will be milled and repaved. Work will begin at the intersection of Routes 30 and 252 and roll southward to Whitehorse Road. Construction will launch in early summer of this year and finish in 12 months. 

Routes 30 & 252 Intersection Improvements 
Somewhat related, the necessity to do the repaving of Route 252 (the lemon) has opened up the opportunity to make significant improvements to traffic flow in that quadrant (the lemonade). 

Among other features: 
•Left-turn arrows will be installed for traffic travelling on Route 252 (whether north or southbound) and seeking to turn left onto Route 30.   
•A new sidewalk will be put in place on the northbound side of Route 252, under the railroad bridge.   
•Turning radiuses in the general area of Routes 30 and 252 will be widened and improved.   

Route 352 near the intersection with Route 30 at the railroad underpass 
This stretch has been patched several separate times throughout the spring by PennDOT. The patches have continually popped due to weather conditions. A complicating factor for this particular spot is the lack of sunlight inside the underpass to ensure a full “dry out” of any work performed. The new plan is for PennDOT to mill down the road surface in order to lessen the brunt of the potholes. Depending on the effect of the milling, the next step might have to be to close the underpass and do a full repave. 

Darby Road 
This road is slated for full repaving over the summer.

Swedesford Road 
Potholes were patched in the spring. Many of these patches subsequently popped due to significant amounts of rain and water on the road’s surface. The road will be patched again; the plan is to do so after the first half of June passes, because otherwise the uncertainty of rainy weather that time of year historically has proved a problem for construction projects. 

Waterloo Road 
The bad stretch between Route 30 and Sugartown Road has been extensively patched twice; PennDOT is hopeful that the second patch will hold permanently. If weather once again wreaks havoc on the patching material, another application will be scheduled during an upcoming stretch of conducive weather conditions. 

There are other roads, of course, in addition to those I note above about which you might be interested in the status. Keep in mind that if it is a local road, the pertinent local government is responsible for ensuring repair of it. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you are unsure about the jurisdiction for a particular road and we will help determine this information for you. 

I do hope the foregoing is helpful for providing understanding about what has been tried and what will be done moving forward with respect to making sure we have a top-tier roadway system in our area. This is critical from a quality-of-life perspective, economic competitiveness considerations and, most importantly, public safety for all concerned. 

Safe travels this summer, 

Duane