Rt. 252 Road Work to Begin Sept. 30

The $5 million construction project to improve traffic flow on Route 252 (Providence Road) between Palmers Mill Road and Kirk Lane in Upper Providence Township will start on Sept. 30, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced on behalf of Gov. Tom Corbett Monday.

Construction is expected to be complete by December 2014.

The bulk of the project is expected to improve traffic flow through the interchange with U.S. Route 1, by widening Rt. 252 to five lanes through the Rose Tree Road intersection, upgrading ramps, widening the intersections at Palmers Mill Road, Rose Tree Road and Kirk Lane, making traffic signal upgrades and installing sidewalks and rehabilitating the Rt. 252 (Providence Road) bridge over Rt. 1, according to PennDOT.

During construction, Rt. 252 (Providence Road) will remain open, however there will be periodic lane restrictions weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Two short-term closures are scheduled on Rose Tree Road, east of Rt. 252 and on Providence Road at the Rt. 252 intersection, according to PennDOT.

During the Rose Tree Road closure, traffic will be detoured over Providence Road and State Road. During the Providence Road closure, traffic will be detoured over Bishop Hollow Road, North Ridley Creek Road and Rose Tree Road, according to PennDOT.

"The improvements and upgrades to Rt. 252 (Providence Road) will make the roadway safer and help alleviate congestion on a stretch of highway that carries more than 25,000 vehicles a day,” PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said in a press release.

Road-Con, Inc. of West Chester, is the general contractor on the $5,087,279 improvement project, which is financed with 100 percent state funds, according to PennDOT. 

Full plans for the widening project can be found on the Upper Providence Township website and are also on display at the township building.