By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

After several years of dormancy, the projected future of the Baltimore Pike-Newark Road intersection in the Village of Toughkenamon was officially revealed to a public who has for many years been forced to endure a connection of roadways that has created one of the largest transportation eyesores in southern Chester County.

Chaired by PennDOT Project Manager Josefina Brown and Steve Giampaolo, the regional service lead of design at Bowman, the Dec. 4 virtual presentation spelled out the A-Z specifics of the three-phase project, which is currently in the early design stages and is set to begin construction in May of 2028 and be completed in 2031, Giampaolo estimated.

“It will take an entire year for utilities to do their work,” he said. “Once that year is completed, the contractor will probably take another two years to get the project built.”

Bowman – who will help develop the project with PennDOT - supports transportation infrastructure across Pennsylvania in partnership with PennDOT and local agencies to plan and design improvements to roads, bridges and transit networks. 

In his opening remarks, Giampaolo identified the “purpose and need” for the intersection’s upgrade, which includes having to realign all of its connecting roadways to cut down congestion, respond to incomplete pedestrian walkways, install turn lanes, create better stormwater management practices and reduce the time of delays caused by traffic delays, which for many drivers is as much as one minute or more, he said.

“Based off our analysis, one of the biggest traffic back-ups is in the p.m. hours, when people are coming home from work – the westbound traffic on Baltimore Pike - which is sometimes backed up 1,000 feet,” Giampaolo said. “Anyone traveling through this corridor knows that it backs up all the way to Kennett Square. Anyone coming down the hill on Newark Road knows that it backs up 300 feet or more.

“If we do no improvements for the project – which is considered ‘no-build conditions’ - there will be an increase in traffic delays and back-ups. With these improvements in the future, the overall intersection delay will be reduced from more than a one-minute delay to between 24 and 28 seconds.”   

Planned upgrades to the intersection will include:

• 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 and
• Installing pedestrian facilities such as curb ramps and sidewalks along all four corners and the four legs of the intersection

Design upgrades to the intersection will also include:

• Drainage network and stormwater improvements such as new roadway inlets and a new storm pipe network; four stormwater basins; four vegetated swales; an infiltration trench; and upgrades to the downstream storm pipe network through the Village of Toughkenamon 
• The relocation of utility poles and overhead facilities; the relocation of underground facilities such as water, gas electrical, communication and sewer; and the installation of a proposed storm sewer crossing with the East Penn railway crossing at Center Street
• The addition of ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks along the east, west and south legs of the intersection; an upgrade of the traffic signal at the intersection; and the inclusion of pedestrian-scale streetlights within the entirety of the area.

The project will be completed in three stages: 1) utility relocations; 2) left and right sides of Baltimore Pike; and 3) the northern leg of Newark Road. Giampaolo added that traffic detour rerouting will be in place during the three stages of the intersection’s reconstruction. 

The redesign of the intersection and nearby streets will be at no cost to taxpayers and will be paid for by federal funding. While the anticipated construction cost of the project will be $11.47 million, the total program costs for the project are estimated to be $14.4 million, according to a project report posted on Dec. 9.

Regarding possible loss of income for businesses that are located within the construction zone, Giampaolo anticipated that PennDOT representatives will discuss possible compensation with each business owner in the vicinity.

The history of the project to upgrade the troublesome intersection has long been one of necessity, one offset by persistent congestion, a lack of pedestrian accommodations, operational issues, poor drainage and dangerous topography that includes steep downgrades – and all in conjunction with continued development in the area. In 2007, New Garden Township first began a traffic analysis study that explored the possibility of creating a more modern intersection that included necessary turn lanes and infrastructure to accommodate both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

After design ideas were submitted from the township to PennDOT in 2008, the concept was deemed too complex and not cost effective for the township. As a result, the project sat dormant for several years until additional funding was secured, and in 2011, a Baltimore Pike study was conducted that offered several recommendations relative to pedestrian and bicycle traffic that was rolled into the design alternatives.

In 2018 – after discussion between New Garden officials and PennDOT – it was decided that the agency would fund the cost of the development, preliminary engineering, construction, right-of-way and utility installation, which led to the final design stage that began in 2023.

To learn more about the project, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/regional offices/district-6 or bit.ly/newark-baltimore. Each site includes comment forms.

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