PennDOT publishes plan for Rt. 352 and Rt. 1 improvements
PennDOT has published its plans to reconstruct the intersection of Route 352 and Route 1 in Middletown and also to upgrade the Route 452 and Route 1 intersection, which is about a half-mile further west on Baltimore Pike. Together, the two intersections cause considerable congestion.
The agency is taking comments now on the plan, which may raise an environmental issue because it will take a portion of woodland near Riddle Village. Overall, the project promises a significant reduction in air pollution caused by vehicles idling while waiting to merge into traffic.
According to PennDOT, the project addresses traffic safety, congestion, and facility deficiencies while allowing for future growth.
PennDOT is currently conducting a Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) Study for roadway improvements developed in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Delaware County Planning Commission, and Middletown Township. The Draft PEL Study is now available for public review and comment.
The PEL Study will enable planning-level decisions to be carried forward, ensuring that National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements are implemented and planning analyses and decisions are not revisited. The information documented in the PEL Study will inform the NEPA process once initiated. For more information about PEL, please click here.
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions regarding construction of federally funded highway, pipeline and other projects.
Using the NEPA process, agencies evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions. Agencies also provide opportunities for public review and comment on those evaluations.
As part of the PEL Study, a virtual public meeting and an in-person open house where preliminary plans were displayed were held in September 2024. A video recording of the virtual public meeting is available to watch by clicking here. Graphics depicting the recommended alternative improvements from the PEL Study are available to view and download by clicking here.
The public is invited to comment on the PEL. You can comment using this form. The deadline for comments is July 17.
The project is scheduled to begin construction in the 2030s and will replace a bridge and intersection that was built in 1939 when the area was largely farmland with little traffic congestion.
