northeastern extension total reconstruction & widening project€¦ · northeastern extension...
TRANSCRIPT
Fall 2011 • Issue #9
Northeastern Extension TotalReconstruction & Widening Project
Mid-County Interchange to the Lansdale Interchange • Montgomery County, PA
DateTuesday, October 18,
2011
Time6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
LocationTowamencin Volunteer
Fire Company,Station A
1590 Bustard Road, Kulpsville, PA
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will present revised design plans for the northern section of
the project area, between Berks Road and the
Lansdale Interchange, Milepost A26-A31
Northern Section Project UpdateOpen House Plans Display Scheduled for Oct. 18
Dynamic Message Boards
Norristown Farm Park Wetland Mitigation Projects
What’s Inside?
Open HousePlans Display
Scheduled
In July, Walsh Construction completed the utility relocations at each of the seven main-line bridges in preparation for the reconstruc-tion of each facility to accommodate six Turn-pike lanes.
The mainline bridges at Jolly Road (T-346) and Township Line Road (S.R. 3001) are currently under construction. The remain-ing bridges will be completed in pairs this year, continuing through spring 2012: Wentz Road (T-369) to be completed with Township Line Road; Hickory Road (T-645) and the SEPTA line; and North Wales Road (T-377) and Skippack Pike (S.R.0073). Work is being completed to widen the outside travel lanes of the bridges and includes demolition of ex-isting wingwalls. The contractor will resume bridge reconstruction in late 2012 through early 2013, when the inside travel lanes will be reconstructed.
Much of the recent construction activity on the mainline involves clearing trees and shrubs from the Turnpike right-of-way to make space for the widened roadway. Other work involves installing new right-of-way fencing, excavating detention basins and sedimentation traps, drilling and installing sound barrier posts, placing embankment, and building construction vehicle entrances.
Many residents adjacent to the construction area have signed up to receive weekly noti-fications of construction activity. If you are interested in receiving these updates, please
visit the project web site at www.paturnpike.com/ConstructionProjects/mpA20toA30 and complete a “Contact Us” form, which will al-low you to register to receive construction updates. Up-to-date construction informa-tion by township is also available on the homepage.
Aerial photo of the Turnpike mainline over Skippack Pike and North Wales Road.
Southern Section Construction Update
Utility work is complete and mainline construction work is progressing on the southern section of the project area, Mid-County Interchange to Berks Road.
Walsh Construction installs sound barrier posts along northbound I-476 as part of the southern section construction.
Printed on recycled paper
Open House Plans Display to be Held in OctoberThe PTC has scheduled an Open House Plans Display this fall to present revised design plans for the northern section of the project area. The Open House will be held Tuesday, October 18, 2011, from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Towamencin Volun-teer Fire Company, Station A, on Bustard Road in Kulpsville. Attendees will have the opportunity to view current project plans, including the revised engineering designs, locations of stormwa-ter management facilities and sound barriers, to ask questions, and to provide their feedback on the project.
Resurfacing Project Underway on I-476 from Berks Road to Lansdale InterchangeThe Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has executed a $2.1 million contract with Reading Site Contractors, Skippack, Pa. (a div. of Reading Materials, Inc.) to resurface the Northeastern Extension between milepost A25.6 (Berks Road) to milepost A31.1 (north of the Lansdale Interchange). Due to the deterioration of the existing roadway in the northern section, the PTC determined it was necessary for the safety of its customers to resurface the area prior to the proposed 2014 start date of the northern widening project. The contractor began this work in mid-September and anticipates completion in mid-November. Because this work requires overnight lane closures on the Turnpike, all of the resurfacing work will occur during off-peak (nighttime) hours with reduced speeds of 40 mph in established single-lane patterns.
Northern Section News
Earlier this summer, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) implemented a unique system of message signs to keep Turnpike customers informed of work-zone travel conditions along the section of the Northeastern Extension now being rebuilt and widened from four to six lanes. The multiple dynamic message signs (DMS) display travel times through the construction area on or near I-476 and I-276 as part of the three year improvement project.
“These message signs provide real-time information to help motorists make informed travel decisions and avoid or minimize delays,” said Louis L. Cortelazzi, the PTC’s coor-dinator of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). “We’ve deployed 16 signs in all, in-cluding 6 in the work-zone itself and 10 signs strategically located outside the work area on connecting roadways.” The work zone area includes the six-mile stretch of Turnpike between the Mid-County Interchange and Berks Road (Mileposts A20-A26).
The messages span two screens, each with three lines, to inform motorists of travel times to a certain endpoint. Screen one displays “Time To…” and the destination (e.g. “I-476/I-276” or “Exit #31”) followed by “From” “MP” (milepost) and “# of MIN.” The mes-sage signs will remain in place until the completion of the project in late 2013. Travel times and other related messages, about incidents and delays will be displayed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The PTC also will display higher priority messages in the event of a major incident, dangerous weather conditions, AMBER alerts or other emergencies.
Smart Work Zone Boards Help Motorists Estimate Their Travel Times
This Dynamic Message Sign, located south-bound near Milepost A33, informs approach-ing travelers of any travel delays through the
construction area.
Aerial photograph of the Lansdale Interchange (top, center) and the Sumneytown Pike Bridge (bottom, center).
For more information, visit www.paturnpike.com
Northeastern Extension TotalReconstruction & Widening Project
Mid-County Interchange to the Lansdale Interchange • Montgomery County, PA
PTC Wetland Mitigation and Stream Restoration Underway in Norristown Farm Park
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is undertaking compensa-tory mitigation projects to make up for the loss of an estimated 1,300 feet of perennial streams and just over 2 acres of wetlands that will be perma-nently impacted by the construction of the Northeastern Extension Total Reconstruction and Widening Project between the Mid-County and Lans-dale Interchanges (MP A20-A31). More specifically, two separate projects are currently underway: one to establish new wetland areas and another to restore a section of Stony Creek. Both projects are located in the Norris-town Farm Park in East Norriton Township and Norristown Borough, Mont-gomery County.
Wetland MitigationWorking with federal, state and local stakeholder groups, the PTC began planning the wetland mitigation project during the engineering design phase of the 10.5-mile Northeastern Extension total reconstruction and widening project. The various agencies and local stakeholder groups that worked with the PTC include the Farm Park Preservation Association’s Norristown Farm Park Advisory Committee, the Stony Creek Anglers Association, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsyl-vania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The PTC also co-ordinated with the PA Historical and Museum Commission. Approval of the final plans for the wetland mitigation project (and the stream restoration project as well) was successfully secured from the PA Fish and Boat Commission, PADEP and the USACE.
James D. Morrissey, Inc. of Philadelphia is the contractor performing the work on the wet-land mitigation project, which began earlier this summer. Three separate locations within the Norristown Farm Park targeted for this work will result in the creation of more than 3.5 acres of new wetland and over 8 acres of riparian buffer along Stony Creek. The PTC also will create habitats for the birds and small animals, which include bird boxes, standing snags (embedded tree trunks), and brush piles. All physical construction on this project is planned to be completed this year; planting of these sites will occur this fall and spring 2012.
Dam Removal and Stream RestorationThis project is the result of a collaborative effort between the PTC, the PA Fish and Boat Commission and American Rivers, with input from the Stony Creek Anglers. Work on the removal of the Norristown Farm Park dam in Stony Creek began on Monday, September 12 and is slated for completion later this fall. The dam removal, which is the first phase of this project, will facilitate a more natural, free-flowing condition of the creek. The next phase of this project includes channel grading, stream bank stabilization and habitat im-provements. The design of these features will be initiated after the dam removal work is completed, and will continue over a period of several months while Stony Creek naturally adjusts. The resulting stream condition will then be evaluated for the applicability of further in-stream fish habitat devices, which will be implemented as a future phase of this project. The second phase of construction is anticipated to begin in late summer or early fall of 2012. Ultimately, the outcome of this effort will promote fish passage and natural stream habitat within this reach of Stony Creek.
Crews breached the dam on the Stony Creek in September 2011
Gerald RollmanDesign Project ManagerP.O. Box 67676Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676(717) 939-9551, Ext. 5780E-Mail: [email protected]
Don Steele, P.E.Sr. Engineering Project Manager251 Flint Hill RoadKing of Prussia, PA 19406(610) 292-3795E-Mail: [email protected]
Richard Cochrane, P.E.Construction Project Manager1744 Sumneytown PikeP.O. Box 318Kulpsville, PA 19443(215) 361-2945E-Mail: [email protected]
Lugene KeysPublic Outreach Program ManagerKCI Technologies, Inc. 5001 Louise Drive, Suite 201Mechanicsburg, PA 17055(717) 691-1340E-Mail: [email protected]
Contact
PENNA
TURN-PIKE
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission P.O. Box 67676Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676Comments or Questions?
Name (Please print clearly)
Address
City State Zip Code
YES! – I want to receive NEXT, the project newsletter.
Detach form and send to:Lugene KeysKCI Technologies, Inc., Suite 2015001 Louise DriveMechanicsburg, PA 17055
Subscribe now or send your comments online at
www.paturnpike.com
Northeastern Extension TotalReconstruction & Widening Project
Mid-County Interchange to the Lansdale Interchange • Montgomery County, PA
Issue #9
YES! – I want to receive E-Bulletins (e-mail req’d).
YES! – I want to receive Weekly Construction Updates (e-mail req’d).