Montgomery County Officials To Address Ridge Pike Improvement Project During April Meeting

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Members of the public are invited to attend a meeting later this month during which county officials will address a roadway improvement project designed to eradicate traffic congestion and other problems plaguing portions of Ridge Avenue from the Philadelphia line to the county seat of Norristown Borough in Montgomery County.

The informational public session is scheduled to take place on April 25 at 5 p.m. at the Whitemarsh Township Building, located at 616 Germantown Pike.

It was originally scheduled for this Thursday, but the meeting has now been pushed back to the end of the month.

Montgomery County is looking to fully reconstruct a portion of Ridge Pike that goes from the Roxborough and Chestnut Hill areas of Northwest Philadelphia through Norristown to help improve congestion along the length of the corridor, roadway and drainage issues, difficult turning movements at certain intersections and other problems.

Part of the work during the Whitemarsh/Springfield phase will be to add traffic signals at Crescent and Barren Hill Roads, add an eastbound through-lane between Harts Lane and Northwestern Avenue and add stormwater management facilities.

Officials say that this portion of Ridge Avenue from Philadelphia to Norristown carries on average between 20,000 and 30,000 each day.

They say the improvements are much needed.

"The original roadway alignment dates to colonial days as do some of the features along the road," the county said in a statement.

The last time the roadway was widened was back in the 1970s.

The upcoming meeting will address what is known as 'Section D' of the overall project, which covers the portion of Ridge Pike from Crescent Avenue in the Lafayette section of Whitemarsh Township to the Philadelphia line in the vicinity of the Chestnut Hill neighborhood.

Montgomery County says that the Ridge Pike Improvement Project will "lessen congestion, improve safety, improve stormwater management, provide safe areas for pedestrians, and help keep the adjacent communities economically competitive."

"The Ridge Pike Improvement Project will also help achieve the goals of the county's comprehensive plan, Montco 2040: A Shared Vision, by repairing existing infrastructure, enhancing access to businesses, improving safety for walkers and bicyclists, and keeping older neighborhoods economically competitive," the county says on an informational section about the project on its website.

The overall project area is nearly five miles long, and the project has been divided up into four shorter segments to help with project management.

Engineering and planning the project has been in the works for the past few years with construction scheduled to begin this year.

The design engineer for the project is Gannett Fleming.

More information about the project can be found here.