ROAD WATCH/RANT for May 2—With VIDEO of Rosemont Ave. Bridge in U.D.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. PennDOT has announced a new comprehensive motorcycle safety campaign, Live Free Ride Alive, as part of its effort to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities on state roads.
More than 3,700 crashes involving motorcycles occurred on state roads in 2009, resulting in 204 fatalities. The number of licensed motorcyclists increased in 2009 by 12,000, while the number of registered motorcycles increased by 3,000. As of late 2009, there were a total of about 828,000 licensed motorcyclists and about 393,000 registered motorcycles.
“While Pennsylvania marked a decrease in the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities in 2009 – the first decrease seen in several years – we believe even one crash or fatality is still one too many,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler.
The campaign’s interactive Web site, www.LiveFreeRideAlive.com, is designed specifically for motorcyclists. The Web site challenges riders to accept personal responsibility for their own safety.
Important messages include obeying the speed limit and not drinking and riding, as speeding and alcohol use increase the risk of being killed or injured in a crash.
The Web site also emphasizes the importance of being properly licensed to operate a motorcycle and encourages the use of protective gear when riding.
Taking an approved motorcycle safety training course also decreases the chances of a rider being killed or injured in a crash. New and seasoned riders can take advantage of free basic and experienced motorcycle safety courses through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program. For more information and to register for a course, visit www.pamsp.com.
As part of the campaign, PennDOT is urging all motorists to share the road and watch out for motorcyclists. All motorists should respect a motorcycle as they would a full-sized vehicle – with the same rights and privileges as any other vehicle on the road.
Road Rant of the Week (Check the Video!)
Readers recently complained that the Rosemont Avenue Bridge over the Darby Creek in Upper Darby is collapsing. Not so, according to Delaware County Public Works Director Dennis Carey and a recent check by the Road Watcher. The #73 bridge between Bishop and Bloomfield avenues was built by the county in 1921, not PennDOT.
However, I observed that the top of the bridge approach walls over land are in bad condition in some sections and Carey said they are scheduled for masonry repairs. These are not part of the bridge’s support superstructure below and the bridge meets all the necessary criteria of the Federal Highway Administration for its posted 12-ton weight limit, he said.
Also, the four holes at road level opposite each other at the bottom of the walls are scuppers – a marine term for the drainage sections on a top deck – which are for water runoff – and not signs of deterioration, Carey said.
The bridge is on the first quarter of the county’s 12-year highway program for engineering design and replacement at a ballpark estimate of $1.5 million, he said.
I asked Carey if the drainage holes could be covered with some kind of screening or grate, since they are only big enough for a child’s foot to get stuck in – not that it’s a safe place for a child to cross on foot. He said that would cause debris to collect and possibly clog up the holes, but added he would check into it.
Few pedestrians use the narrow bridge which often only has enough width for one large SUV or box truck – no tractor-trailers permitted -- to pass through while another driver courteously waits. Still, some idiots force their way through almost sideswiping each other.
Granted, the top walls of the bridge are deteriorating in spots and look like hell in this picturesque setting, but it’s not ready to come crashing down any time soon.
U.S. Route 202 Project
PennDOT announced the award of a $19.3 million transportation economic recovery project for the rehabilitation/improvement of U.S. Route 202 in West Goshen and Westtown, Chester County.
The federally funded project will upgrade 4.3 miles of Route 202 from the Route 100 Interchange to the intersection of High Street.
Construction is expected to start in June and finish in August 2011.
Route 1 – Concord
The Chester Water Authority will close one lane in each direction on Route 1 between Brinton Lake Road and Evergreen Drive in Concord from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through May 21. Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the area.
The authority will be doing storm sewer and water main installation and constructing a right turn lane on Route 1 North.
Special Session
Gov. Ed Rendell has called for a special legislative session 1 p.m. Tuesday to solve immediate and future transportation funding problems and ensure the safety of Pennsylvania travelers.
He is requesting the session as a result of Act 44 not providing a substitute revenue source to replace the proceeds from the anticipated tolling of I-80 if federal approval was not obtained. On April 6, the Federal Highway Administration rejected the commission’s application to toll I-80.
“As a result of this federal decision the Commonwealth immediately needs to replace $472 million in transportation system improvement funds in Fiscal Year 2010/2011 or forego making significant bridge, road and transit capital improvements and reduce the incremental increases in transit operating subsidies provided for in that fiscal year,” Rendell said.
Also, as a result of this federal decision, $60 billion over the life of Act 44 that would have been available for improvements to the state’s transportation system will not be available to the Commonwealth, he said.
Correction
In the last column, the “Limited Sight Distance” sign cited in Road Rant of the Week posted before a blind spot on a bridge is located on Bowman Avenue, not Wynnewood Road, at Baird Road in Lower Merion. The accompanying video, however, is captioned correctly.
Green Your Commute
To help residents explore the many alternative transportation options available across the state, PennDOT recently launched the PACommutes Web site: www.PACommutes.com.
An array of topics are covered including how to begin a biking or walking routine, how to set up a car or van pool, and what services are offered for older residents and people with disabilities.
Traffic Delays
Route 491 (Naamans Creek Road) – Concord, Upper/Lower Chichester and Bethel, tree clearing between Route 202 and the Delaware state line 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
Also, Naamans Creek Road in Bethel, PECO utility installation at Zebley Road and Garnet Mine Road, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
I-476 North/South (Blue Route) – Radnor, Haverford, Marple, Springfield, Nether Providence, Ridley Township, vegetation control with intermittent lane restrictions between I-95 and the Montgomery County line 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
U.S. Route 202 – Concord and Chadds Ford, one lane closed in each direction between Route 1 and Dilworthtown Road for pavement marker installation 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
Pennell Road (Route 452) -- Aston and Middletown, Sunoco pipeline repairs between Glendale Boulevard and Route 352, 8 p.m.-5 a.m. weekdays through May 6.
Radnor — Goshen Road, road work costing $1.3 million, closed/detoured 24 hours daily between Darby-Paoli Road and Hunt Road for roadway reconstruction and realignment to remove a sharp curve through Aug. 21. Work began March 1. Goshen Road will be detoured over Darby-Paoli Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Route 3, Route 252 and Goshen Road.
Radnor — Radnor-Chester Road, Aqua utility installation, closed/detoured between Lancaster Avenue and Conestoga Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 29.
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 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 appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.