Road Watch: Police brace for commuter nightmare

Tag : Flower Pipe
Upper Darby and Millbourne police chiefs say they are prepared tohandle any traffic problems that may occur with the nine-dayclosing of the 63rd and Market streets intersection due to Elreconstruction.
SEPTA commuters and motorists face a double-edged nightmare thatbegan Friday night with the closing of the busy intersection whichis a major connection with points in West Philadelphia and CenterCity.
The intersection will be closed until 4 a.m. July 21, and thenagain for 16 days between 7 p.m. Aug. 8 until 4 a.m. Aug. 25. Theclosure is necessary for the final phase of rebuilding SEPTA'scentury-old Market Street Elevated infrastructure.
As in past summers, shuttle buses will replace El service between69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby and 40th Street Station in WestPhiladelphia during the closing of the 63rd Street intersection.
For motorists who usually head into the city via 63rd Street andeastbound Chestnut Street, congestion is expected on Marshall Road,Haverford Avenue, Lansdowne Avenue, Baltimore Pike and Garrett Roadas a result of the closure.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said thisweekend the regular squads and patrols will be monitoring thesituation as traffic dictates.
Starting Monday and through Friday, between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30p.m., the department will have six officers on overtime, the costbeing absorbed by SEPTA, Chitwood said.
They will work the following locations: Garrett Road and VictoryAvenue; 69th and Market streets; 69th and Ludlow streets; 69thStreet and Marshall Road; Marshall and Powell roads; and Marshalland Cobbs Creek Parkway, he said.
This will also be done in August, he said.
"Now certainly as traffic patterns dictate, we may have to shiftour resources, but that's how we're going to start out," Chitwoodsaid.
"Our hope is that motorists will find alternative routes," he said.And that motorists will assist police in keeping the streets safe,he added.
Millbourne Police Chief David McCann said his department has beenworking closely with police from Upper Darby, Philadelphia andSEPTA.
"In fact, we have played a major part in the weekend ones as well,so we do have personnel deployed for it," he said.
McCann said his department will try and make it run as smoothly aspossible.
Bike-a-thon to close bridge
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge will be closed to all vehiculartraffic from about 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. today for the 36th annualAmerican Cancer Society Bike-a-thon.
The race begins on Fifth Street in Philadelphia and will proceedover the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into South Jersey. Race officialsexpect more than 4,700 cyclists to participate. The American CancerSociety Bike-a-thon is open to riders of all skill levels.Officials hope to raise $2 million for cancer research.
PATCO service will not be affected by the race.
In other news, the DRPA is in the final phase of its steel paintingproject for the Franklin Bridge. Surface preparation and paintingwill begin the week of July 14.
To register any concerns or obtain additional information, call thehotline at 1-866-321-2475; weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., call215-218-3750, extension 2255.
Avoid Wanamaker Avenue
Aqua Pennsylvania will close Wanamaker Avenue between theIndustrial Highway (Route 291) and Second Street in Tinicumstarting 9 a.m.-3 p.m. July 21, for water main installation,PennDOT said.
Wanamaker Avenue will be closed weekdays through Oct. 31.
During construction, Aqua will detour Wanamaker Avenue throughtraffic over Route 291, Jansen Avenue and Second Street.
Local access will be maintained up to the construction zone.Motorists are advised to allow extra time when driving through thearea.
Traffic Delays
Ridley Township - Lincoln Avenue (Route 420), PECO installationbetween Eighth and 10th avenues, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays throughJuly 24. Work began July 3.
Middletown/Chester Heights - U.S. Route 1 North/South, bridgerepairs over Chester Creek Monday-Thursday.
Thornbury - Creek Road, pipe cleaning between Tanguy and Sweetwaterroads 8 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
Ridley Township - Route 291 North/South, milling/paving betweenStewart Avenue and Crum Creek 6 p.m.-6 a.m. weekdays.
Media, Middletown, Edgmont and Thornbury - line painting on stateroads 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Motorists are urged tostay an ample distance behind line-painting trucks and stay offtraffic lines.
Chester - Flower Street, ramp construction, closed/detoured betweenSecond and Front streets, 24-hour detour posted through Sept. 8.Work began July 7.
Haverford - Darby Road, road widening/utility installation byGoldenberg Group, closed/detoured between Route 320 and MarpleRoad, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays through July 25. Detourposted. Work began May 27.
Chester Township - Concord Road, utility installation betweenCommerce Drive and McDonald Boulevard 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdaysthrough Sept. 25. Work began Feb. 19.
Amosland Road - Prospect Park and Norwood, Aqua installationbetween MacDade Boulevard and Chester Pike, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. weekdaysthrough Aug. 29. Work began June 30.
"Road Watch" appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phonenumbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.