PennDOT to Move U.S. 202 North Traffic Over to New Lanes

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Motorists traveling on U.S. 202 in Chester County will face lane and ramp closures this weekend for construction to shift two lanes of northbound traffic onto the newly widened and rebuilt northbound side of the highway between the U.S. 30 and Route 401 interchanges in East Whiteland Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Friday.

The upcoming traffic pattern change marks the start of the final major stage of construction on PennDOT’s $63.3 million project to rebuild and widen 2.5 miles of U.S. 202 to six lanes between Route 401 and U.S. 30. Construction is expected to be completed in late summer 2016.

Weather permitting, PennDOT’s contractor plans to move two lanes of northbound U.S. 202 traffic over to the newly built northbound side by 10:00 AM Sunday, December 20.

The weekend operation will begin at 8:00 PM Saturday, December 19. At that time, U.S. 202 north will be reduced from two lanes to one between U.S. 30 and Route 401 for the relocation of concrete construction barriers, eradication of traffic lines, and the painting of new lines.

In addition, the U.S. 30 Bypass east off-ramp to U.S. 202 north will be closed and detoured as will the U.S. 202 north off-ramp to Route 401 (Conestoga Road).

Then early Sunday morning, December 20, the contractor will shift one lane of northbound traffic over to the new northbound pavement and reopen the U.S. 202 north off-ramp to Route 401 (Conestoga Road). There will be a 15-minute traffic stoppage on U.S. 202 north at this time.

By 10:00 AM Sunday, December 20, the contractor will move the second northbound lane onto the new pavement and reopen the U.S. 30 east off-ramp to U.S. 202 north.

The posted detours for motorists to follow during the two ramp closures are:

  • U.S. 202 north off-ramp to Route 401 (Conestoga Road): Northbound U.S. 202 traffic will be directed to exit at U.S. 30 (Lancaster Avenue), and then turn right at U.S. 30 (Lancaster Avenue) and left at Route 401 (Conestoga Road);
  • U.S. 30 Bypass east off-ramp to U.S. 202 north: Motorists will be directed to exit at U.S. 30 (Lancaster Avenue), and then turn right onto U.S. 30 (Lancaster Avenue) and bear right onto the ramp to U.S. 202 north.

Then from 8:00 PM Sunday, December 20, to 5:00 AM Monday, December 21, U.S. 202 south will be reduced from two lanes to one between Route 401 (Conestoga Road) and U.S. 30 for the relocation of concrete barriers. The southbound left lane will be closed during this operation.

A lane closure also may occur on U.S. 202 north or south from 8:00 PM Monday, December 21, to 5:00 AM Tuesday, December 22, to adjust concrete barriers.

Motorists traveling on U.S. 202 and the U.S. 30 Bypass are advised to allow additional time for travel and use extra care when driving through the construction zones. All scheduled activities are dependent on the weather.

Once the new northbound U.S. 202 traffic pattern is in place, crews will begin rebuilding the center of U.S. 202 and installing the new concrete median barrier and glare screen. Work also will continue into 2016 on the new northbound entrance and exit ramps at the Route 401 Interchange and the widening and rebuilding of Route 401 at the interchange.

In addition to widening U.S. 202 from four lanes to six and improving the interchange at Route 401 (Conestoga Road) under this construction contract, crews are reconstructing bridges over Route 401 and Planebrook Road; replacing the bridge over Chester Valley Trail; erecting three miles of noise barriers; installing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) components; landscaping the project area; and building storm water management and mitigation sites.

Construction to widen U.S. 202 to six lanes between Route 401 (Conestoga Road) and U.S. 30 began in April 2013.

This project is the second and final mainline contract for the widening of 6.5 miles of U.S. 202 from just south of the Route 252/Swedesford Interchange to U.S. 30.

PennDOT opened the newly expanded four-mile long section of U.S. 202 from north of Route 401 to the Route 252/Swedesford Road Interchange in September 2014. Work on the northern section began in late 2011.

For additional information on the widening of U.S. 202 in East Whiteland and Tredyffrin townships, visit www.us202-300.com.

For more information on the improvement and widening of U.S. 202, visit www.us202-300.com.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 770 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov.

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