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Chester County Press

Uncle Irvin: East Marlborough roads deplorable

05/10/2016 03:28PM ● By Richard Gaw
Uncle Irvin has lived in East Marlborough Township for 50 years, and the road I live on is basically the same as it was in 1970.
I'm talking about Line Road, which was a nondescript farm road in 1970 and now is a shortcut for many, many commercial vehicles and commuters, plus school, business and local traffic from three housing developments. Line Road maintenance is shared by East Marlborough, New Garden and West Marlborough townships. The very worst part is from Mill Road to Bancroft, which is under the jurisdiction of East Marlborough and its cheapskate supervisors led by Bob Weer, whose primary aim is to spend no money.
Bob Weer is a good man, but he has no idea that East Marlborough's East and North Precincts around Kennett Square and Willowdale have grown by leaps and bounds. Line Road is not legally wide enough, has no shoulders and spots with no vision, and is very highly traveled.
Instead of widening and repaving Line Road, Weer's workmen just threw down a bastardized tar and chip layer covering only the shoulders.
Another road that is overused is West Locust Lane, which turned into Longwood Road. It was treated the same way with loosely thrown tar and chip.
Uncle Irvin personally went to an East Marlborough Board of Supervisors meeting in 1975 and made a case for improvements. None were ever made. The state built a new bridge across the Red Clay because of flooding, but no other enhancements have been made, except tar and chip, which is worthless.
Some day there will be a major accident on Line Road which could be avoided.

(Uncle Irvin's column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)