Planners Study 9 of the Area's Worst Intersections

Crappy Photo by Evan Brandt

An example of one of the slides from last night's presentation about improving nine of the regions intersections. This one is for the intersection of Armand Hammer Boulevard and Industrial Highway in Lower Pottsgrove.

What are the Pottstown region's worst intersections and, perhaps more important, what must be done to improve them?

Those were the questions faced by the members of the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission Thursday night.

That's when a draft of a study of nine intersections by the Delaware Valley Regional Panning Commission was presented.

Next month, the second half of the study and data on nine more intersections will be presented.

The nine outlined list night were:

• Manatawny Street and Grosstown Road in West Pottsgrove;
• Manatawny Strret and Sell Road in West Pottsgrove;
• Manatawny Street and Glasgow Street in Pottstown;
• High Street and Moser Road in Pottstown;
• High Street and Armand Hammer Boulevard in Pottstown;
• Armand Hammer Boulevard and Medical Drive in Lower Pottsgrove;
• Armand Hammer Boulevard and Industrial Highway in Lower Pottsgrove; 
• Vaughn Road and route 724 in East Coventry
• Hoffecker Road and Route 100 in North Coventry.

Each intersection was outlined for traffic volume and safety, along with projections for future traffic load.

Surprisingly, several of the intersections were forecast to actually have less traffic in 2020 or 2025 because planners anticipate future building will convince drivers to take different routes.

The meeting was also an opportunity to gather more information.

For example as DVRPC Planner Kathleen Whitaker outlined the problems with the intersection of Hoffecker Road and route 100, she became aware -- thanks to input from North Coventry Supervisors Chairman Jim Marks -- that the township had just received a sketch plan for a proposed 200-plus apartment complex near that corner, making the recommendation for a traffic signal all the more imperative.

Once the second half of the study is presented in January, the DVRPC will take the input back to create a final report, due in June, which each of the eight municipalities that are part of the regional planning commission can use to recommend upgrades at those intersections.

The report was funded entirely by a $65,000 allocation DVRPC made to the region.

After June, another allocation is available and Whitaker outlined some other areas that might be studied at no cost to local taxpayers.

Whitaker says possibilities include a study of High Street corridor traffic to create a model for downtown Pottstown; a school transportation study for the region; a Route 663 study from Maugers Mill Road to Route 73; 10 to 15 more intersections; a look at restoring regional rail; or ways to make better connections between adjacent housing developments.

What do you think?

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Region's Worst Intersections