Saturday, February 3, 2018

AVONDALE: Ripple effects

The State Street bridge over Indian Run in Avondale is a minor one, but its closure has had a far-reaching impact. Motorists who would take State Road or Clay Creek Road to get to the southern part of London Grove Township, the site of many schools and housing developments, now need to take either the Route 1 bypass or Old Baltimore Pike to West Grove.
The result is that every rush hour, a traffic jam forms where Chatham Road (Route 841) and Evergreen Avenue meet in the middle of West Grove. I've sat in traffic on Chatham Road stretching from the bypass exit all the way to the stop sign at Evergreen Avenue, and it's only by the kindness of yielding Evergreen Avenue motorists that drivers can pull out. And all that additional traffic, of course, jams up both Oakland Avenue and Prospect Avenue.
The bridge was shut down in July for replacement, and the project became even more complicated when on Aug. 10 a bridge beam collapsed under the weight of an excavator.
According to a Jan. 3 project update from Chester County, "Much of the remaining work such as concrete placement and paving requires mild temperatures to meet PennDOT specifications. Nonetheless, the contractor will continue to work through the winter as weather and work operations permit. The bridge is anticipated to be completed by late spring 2018."

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