By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Over the past several decades, when the topic of severely outdated intersections in southern Chester County becomes the subject of conversation, one such coagulate of streets often appears high on the list, if not at the top of it: the Baltimore Pike-Newark Road intersection in Toughkenamon.

Long vilified for its bottleneck of congestion and outdated roads, local residents have levied their concerns to New Garden Township and Kennett Borough officials as well as PennDOT for the area’s lack of safety and maneuverability. In short, it has not met the standards of a modern intersection and accumulated a mega list of problems: 

• The current intersection contributes to congestion and safety concerns 
• The northbound and southbound sections of Newark Road are offset by about 30 feet at the intersection, creating safety risks and operational inefficiencies
• The southbound Newark Road approach features a steep downgrade and a sharp reverse curve near the intersection, posing challenges for cars and most especially heavy vehicles such as 18-wheel trucks that carry heavy amounts of cargo and
• The current intersection poses severe transportation issues for the residents of Toughkenamon, whose small businesses and pedestrians are impacted by poor access management

On Dec. 4 beginning at 7 p.m., the future of the intersection, its tributary roads and its infrastructure will serve as the front and center conversation in a virtual presentation that will be given by representatives from PennDOT, who will discuss plans, timelines and construction for planned improvements to the intersection, which is scheduled to be placed on the department’s work docket soon. The presentation will also include a question-and-answer period for the public. 

According to an informational document about the project that is posted on PennDOT’s website, the presentation will provide an overview of the following proposed improvements to the intersection:

• Realigning the northern leg of Newark Road to reduce the reverse curve and better align it with the southern leg
• Adding a 500-foot-long left-turn lane on the northern leg
• Moving the intersection with Baltimore Pike westward to align Newark Road’s northern and southern legs
• Improving turning radii on all four corners of the intersection for better heavy vehicle maneuverability
• Widening the southern Newark Road to include a 100-foot-long left-turn and 150-foot-long right-turn lane
• Widening Baltimore Pike’s western leg to provide a 225-foot-long left-turn lane
• Widening Baltimore Pike’s eastern leg to include a 175-foot-long left-turn lane and a 250-foot-long right-turn lane
• Installing pedestrian facilities such as curb ramps and sidewalks along all four corners and the four legs of the intersection and
• Installing new traffic signals and street lighting

In addition, a new stormwater conveyance system and Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) along Newark Road and Baltimore Pike and within the intersection will be installed, and a new downstream stormwater conveyance system will be built between Baltimore Pike and Church Street and along Church Street, Center Street and Willow Street to the existing stormwater outfall to the Unnamed Tributary to the West branch of Red Clay Creek.

The project is also projecting to include relocating utility poles, subsurface sewer, gas, and water lines on the northern Newark Road part of the intersection that will be affected by the road widening and realignment. Additional subsurface relocations may be necessary on Baltimore Pike and the southern Newark Road to accommodate drainage infrastructure. 

The virtual public meeting will be held on Dec. 4 beginning at 7 p.m., and will be accessible by visiting https://bit.ly/485A5iw.

To learn more about the project, visit the dedicated PennDOT website at https://bit.ly/48fuAOh, or visit the New Garden website at www.newgarden.org and access “PennDOT Virtual Public Meeting – 12/4” under “Latest News.”

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