PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 10 years after a proposal was made to relieve traffic at a heavily traveled intersection, Delaware County officials are shelving the project altogether due to rising costs.
The point where Baltimore Pike (Route 1) meets South Pennell Road (Route 452) in Middletown Township has long been a source of grief for drivers.
“It causes backups, backing up into many parts of the township, which impacts fire services, people getting home from work, access to Riddle Hospital,” said Middletown Township Council chair Chris Stump.
In 2014, officials proposed the Lima Loop to solve the problem, giving drivers an alternate route. But Middletown Township Council voted unanimously last month to terminate the project.
Stump said the project would have required them to tear up residents’ yards and public woods.
“The concerns were that the cost estimates had ballooned from when the project was first proposed,” he added.
Project costs started at $2 million but are now upward of $6 million. To only lower traffic by 10%, Stump said it’s just not worth it.
It’s not the end of the road for the loop, though.
“There’s consideration of a PennDOT project that is slated for 2034 that is going to do construction on the same intersection,” Stump said, potentially fixing the bothersome road.