PA Turnpike Broadens Project Discussions

September 23, 2009

Contact: William J. Capone, Director Communications & Public Relations
Carl DeFebo, Manager Media, Public Relations
717-939-9551

PA Turnpike, Public Officials Broaden Project Discussions
Discussions focused on alternative stormwater management solutions for six-mile turnpike widening

(Harrisburg, PA) -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) met with public officials on Friday, September 18 to review progress and discuss next steps regarding alternative stormwater management plans for the I-76 total reconstruction and widening project located at Milepost 320 to 326 in Tredyffrin and Upper Merion Townships. The PTC plans to continue discussions focused on alternative stormwater management solutions through year-end.

In addition to continuing its dialogue with public officials, the PTC is now planning to re-engage its Design Roundtable, an advisory group comprised of representatives of various civic, residential and community-based special interests organized as part of the PTC public outreach program for this project. The Design Roundtable met twice prior to the project suspension. The PTC anticipates reconvening Design Roundtable meetings as early as October so that they can also continue to take part in the ongoing stormwater management discussions.

The PTC, in collaboration with Tredyffrin Township, has developed several viable stormwater management alternatives that include consideration for a reduced median width (26 feet versus 16 feet), increasing the number of retaining walls, underground detention, infiltration basins and trenches, stream restoration, off-site mitigation and the possibility of relocating stormwater facilities onto sites owned by property owners that may be interested in selling. The PTC is also working to reduce the number of total and partial property acquisitions from what was shown in the engineering plans presented at the January 2009 Open House Plans Display. These alternatives will be the topics of detailed discussion at future Design Roundtable meetings and continued dialogue with the public officials.

The goal of these collaborative efforts among PTC, Tredyffrin Township, public officials and the Design Roundtable is to achieve consensus on environmentally and fiscally responsible stormwater management solutions that will also minimize the number of property impacts required for implementation. The PTC will closely evaluate the outcomes of these efforts to determine if sufficient progress has been made by year-end to allow the turnpike widening project to move forward.

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