The Route 41 Corridor – the well-traveled and some would say severely outdated highway that slices through southern Chester County – is the topic of a soon-to-be finalized study that intends to “develop a vision that promotes safety, convenience, and accessibility for all users, supports key local industries and businesses, and reflects the character of the diverse communities along the corridor.”

The Route 41 Transportation Study and Improvement Plan was presented by John Yurick, a senior project manager of transportation for the Exton-based Bowman Engineering firm at the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors meeting on July 15. The multi-municipal study focuses on the ten-mile stretch of Route 41 from Route 796 to Route 7 that encompasses Londonderry, London Grove, New Garden and Kennett townships and Avondale Borough. It recognizes the long-standing safety and traffic concerns along the highway; several studies of the corridor that have been previously issued; and its need to offer a “cohesive vision and framework for future transportation improvements” in conjunction with completed and future PennDOT projects, such as the repair of the decaying bridge over White Clay Creek and the State Street intersection in the Avondale Borough. 

Bowman’s study divides the corridor into four contiguous segments: From Route 796 to U.S. Route 1; from U.S. Route 1 to the Avondale Borough line; the Avondale Borough; and from the borough to the Route 7 interchange.

Yurick said that in order to help layer the study with further insight, Bowman worked with an advisory committee, gave online presentations and distributed an online community survey that yielded 278 responses, of which the three top concerns expressed were traffic congestion, truck volume and/or behavior and vehicle speeding. 

Yurick shared the following recommendations for each of the four segments. 

From Route 796 to U.S. 1, he said that given the roundabouts at key intersections, “we don’t want to go too far ahead with recommendations. We have identified some safety improvements that can be done at each intersections in the short term, but we recommend that townships pause and let the PennDOT roundabout improvements come on line and see what it really does in shifting traffic patterns.”

From U.S. Route 1 to the Avondale Borough, Yurick said that Bowman recommends improvements to turn lanes, streetscape design, bicycle lanes and pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks. In light of PennDOT’s plans to improve the State Street intersection and repair the bridge over the White Clay Creek in the Avondale Borough, Bowman is recommending several traffic calming initiatives that include the installation of pedestrian crosswalks at Third and Fifth streets, buffered bike lanes, gateway treatments and the addition of turning lanes for southbound traffic.

For the segment that begins at the southern edge of Avondale Borough and extends to the Route 7 interchange, Yurick said that Bowman is recommending the installation of bike lanes, pedestrian crosswalks, additional turn lanes and streetscape improvements. 

The final report is expected to be completed and provide to each of the municipalities along the corridor by the end of July, who are then expected to give final approval to the study and its recommendations at their board meetings in September and October. 

Referring to the roundabouts that PennDOT is installing along Route 41, Supervisor Steve Allaband said that while he sees the overall benefit of installing roundabouts as traffic calming measures, he said the installation of center turn lanes “would keep traffic moving and save lives.” 

Yurick said he sees advantages and disadvantages of installing roundabouts along Route 41.

“What we see in roundabouts is that they reduce conflicts in an intersection,” he said. “A lot of accidents that happen occur at signalized intersections— when someone doesn’t pay attention to the changing light, or when there are high-speed collisions. What the roundabout will do is slow those vehicles down, and if there is a collision, it happens at a lower speed and at a lower impact, which helps reduce potential fatalities.

“The disadvantage of a roundabout is that it requires more right-of-way, a lot more land to build and the need to develop the proper turn radius for larger vehicles such as trucks.”  

The entire Route 41 Transportation Study and Improvement Plan is included on the township’s website, www.newgarden.org/agendacenter, and is accessible by visiting the July 15 Board of Supervisors meeting agenda.

In other township business:

• The Board of Supervisors approved an appropriation of $246,187.50 to the Avondale Fire Company and the Southern Chester County EMS. 
• The board approved the demolition of the historic Jenkins House at 510 Newark Road. The demolition permit received approval by the township’s Historical Commission, who in its recommendation wrote that while the house is recognized as historic, it has deteriorated significantly over the last few years due to neglect and is now beyond repair.
• The board also gave approval to awarding DiRocco Brothers a $1.67 million contract to reconstruct the East Parallel taxiway at the New Garden Flying Field. The work will include removing the existing taxiway pavement and designing a new alignment to meet the current FAA design standards. Additionally, the project will include the layout of new taxiway edge reflectors and airfield guidance signs. Flying Field General Manager Jon Martin said that 95 percent of the project will be paid for through grants from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Aviation (BOA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].