CHATHAM: Latest plans for Route 41 traffic

PennDOT's latest plan for slowing Route 41 traffic involves installing median strips (PennDOT calls them "gateways") at the north and south edges of the village of Chatham. Officials from the state agency unveiled the plan at an informal public meeting on Tuesday evening at Stillwaters Presbyterian Church, and the church parking lot was filled with curious Chatham residents.
The northern median would be near the Chatham Diner and the southern one would be just south of Church Alley. The current northbound and southbound lanes would be shifted onto what is now the shoulder of the road to allow room for the median strip to be built. The project would be done completely on the state's right of way on either side of the road, which would speed the approval process.
Construction of the median strips could begin in 2017. The plan to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Routes 841 and 41, where there is now a flashing light, is still on the table, but the less involved "gateway" project would be done first.
Whether there would be landscaping in the median remains to be seen and would require a maintenance agreement with local officials.
The residents I spoke to at the meeting seemed pleased with the concept and happy at the thought that something might finally be done about the traffic. I heard one man asking about the width of the lanes and wondering whether oversize trucks would be able to negotiate the medians (Route 41 is heavily used by tractor-trailers).
Here are some of the charts and maps presented at the meeting.

The location of the proposed "gateways" on Route 41. Left is north (toward Gap) and right is south (toward Avondale).

This chart gives the specs for the medians.

The gateway on the north side of the village, near the Chatham Diner.

The gateway on the south side of the village, just south of Church Alley.