Letter to the Editor:

These comments are in response to the article on a recent S.A.V.E. Route 41 presentation. The Planning Commission’s Landscapes3 map of Chester County indicates that, while the area bordering Route 41 has rural characteristics, it also has significant urban and suburban areas, especially in Avondale and New Garden Township. 

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, PennDOT conducted a Route 41 Improvement Project. That effort involved local communities, elected officials, and multiple experts, at taxpayer expense, including KCI Technologies that recommended a four-lane highway to address the multiple issues on Route 41. S.A.V.E. became a dominant voice and the improvement project ultimately failed, though some isolated upgrades were installed, most notably at Route 41 and Newark Road. 

A meaningful public transportation effort would be welcome. However, a state that is regularly unable to produce a budget in a timely fashion is highly unlikely to even consider a transit system that would come near to meeting the transportation needs of southern Chester County. And then there is the vacation and truck traffic on Route 41 to consider.

The region basically still has an unsafe and outdated highway. The rural nature of Southern Chester County, especially along Route 41, has been diminishing steadily over the last 35 years. Promoting Route 41 as a rural road, and advocating for traffic circles (roundabouts), seems to be a longing for a past that is gone. Traffic circles may work well on rural roads but will certainly make a bad situation worse on such a heavily trafficked highway as Route 41. An opportunity to improve Route 41, and decades, were lost. Though I no longer reside in New Garden Township, I frequently drive on Route 41. Knowing what should have been, and seeing what is still there, a dangerous highway that impacts upon the quality of life of local citizens, is cause for great concern. 

Hopefully, the residents affected directly, and daily, by the concerns with Route 41, and their elected officials, will work to have their voices heard. 

Jim DiLuzio, Sr.

Penn Township