Road Watch col., Aug. 8
The Kindness of Strangers…
With the lack of driver courtesy prevalent on the roads today and horrible examples of road rage in recent years, it was so encouraging for me to receive the kindness of strangers during a recent car breakdown.
I was driving my old Chevy Lumina on Springfield Road on the way home from work one hot day when my fan belt snapped after the water pump seized. I knew something was wrong when I suddenly smelled burnt rubber.
Without power steering and engine power, I managed to steer around the corner on to Indian Rock Drive in Springfield. I had to wait nearly two hours before a AAA-certified tow truck arrived.
Meanwhile, the heat was getting to me and I was thirsty. Well, instead of complaining about my car taking up the parking space in front of their house, a Good Samaritan family on the corner couldn’t have been more kind.
I told a young man I was waiting for a tow truck. He offered to get me a bottle of water. He couldn’t find one inside his home, but instead he brought me a nice glass of ice water.
Later on, his brother who was in the Air Force – and had a T-shirt saying so – even offered to let me go inside his air-conditioned home. Then their father, Robert Peters, came outside – a fellow Chevy car fan – and we had a pleasant conversation talking about cars and his fondness for boating on the Chesapeake.
Then I asked him if I could use their bathroom, thanks to the water I drank earlier. Not something I would normally do, but they made me feel as if I wasn’t imposing on them.
This guy Bob’s wife Denise also came out to greet me along with their two friendly pet dogs.
This family truly epitomized the kindness of strangers, restoring my faith in human nature – a far cry from all the road rage you hear about nowadays.
ROAD RANT (See Video)
I revisited the location in Middletown near the obsolete cloverleaf at the on-ramp from Route 352 North (Middletown Road) to Route 1 North (Baltimore Pike) and the Media Bypass.
A reader had previously complained about the need to repaint the faded solid white line on Route 1 North. PennDOT quickly responded to the complaint within days.
This solid white line on the far right lane of the pike allows cars from Route 352 North to turn into the lane protected by the solid white line which means that northbound traffic on the pike should not be crossing over into that far right lane.
Blue Route Traffic Pattern
Overnight lane closures are scheduled this weekend on I-476 South in Montgomery County to move two lanes of southbound traffic into a new pattern between the Schuylkill River Bridge and the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) Interchange.
From 10 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday, the southbound side of the Blue Route will be reduced from two lanes to one from the river bridge to I-76 for additional traffic line painting.
In addition, the southbound I-476 “express lane,” which runs on the northbound side of I-476 from just south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Mid-County Interchange to I-76, will be closed 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday for construction activity.
Southbound I-476 motorists are advised to allow more time for travel because backups and delays are expected to occur during the overnight operations.
I-95 Work
The right lane will be closed on northbound and southbound I-95 between the Walt Whitman Bridge and Washington Avenue in Philadelphia 9 p.m.-5 a.m. weeknights for sound wall installation.
Also, one lane will be closed on I-95 North/South between Woodhaven Road (Route 63) and Route 73 in Philadelphia 9 p.m.-5 a.m. weeknights for bridge repairs.
Aramingo Avenue
Northbound Aramingo Avenue will be closed between Westmoreland and York streets in Philadelphia for base repairs.
Northbound motorists will be detoured over Richmond Street and Castor Avenue.
Trucks will be detoured over I-95 to the Aramingo Avenue exit.
Crews are working in two-block sections of northbound Aramingo Avenue between Lehigh Avenue and Westmoreland Street to minimize the impact to on-street parking.
This work is part of PennDOT’s $11.2 million project to improve Aramingo Avenue between Lehigh Avenue and Harbison Avenue, and Harbison Avenue between Van Kirk Street and Route 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard). Crews are replacing traffic signals at 31 intersections and milling and paving the road base.
Traffic Delays
Upper Darby – Township Line Road (U.S. Route 1), traffic signal upgrades with lane restrictions between Dermond Road and Harding Drive 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
Concord – U.S. Route 202 North, road widening with lane closures between McComb Avenue and Cornerstone Drive 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays Monday-Aug.20.
Aston – Concord Road, milling with lane restrictions between Bethel and Pennell roads 7 p.m.-5 a.m. weekdays.
Also, milling between Bethel and Pennell roads, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.
Edgmont Avenue – Brookhaven, Parkside and Chester, lane restrictions 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and 7 p.m.-5 a.m. Wednesday-Friday.
Springfield – Baltimore Pike, pavement marking with lane restrictions between Route 420 and Route 252, 6 p.m.-6 a.m. weekdays.
Nether Providence – Beatty Road, closed/detoured between Baltimore Pike and Sproul Road for bridge rehabilitation through Aug. 27.
Chester Pike (U.S. Route 13) – Ridley Township, bridge construction with lane closure between Morton Avenue and Acres Drive, 24-hour restrictions through October 2011.
Radnor – Goshen Road, road work costing $1.3 million, closed/detoured 24 hours daily between Darby-Paoli and Hunt roads for roadway reconstruction and realignment to remove a sharp curve through October. Work began March 1. Goshen Road will be detoured over Darby-Paoli Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Route 3, Route 252 and Goshen Road.
Concord – Baltimore Pike, bridge replacement with lane restrictions on bridge over Chester Creek 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 2011. Work began in September 2009.
Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement with lane restrictions between Darlington and Station roads, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12.
Road Watch/Road Rant appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.