Building A Wall At Gateway Shopping Center

TREDYFFRIN TWP, PA — Traffic was backing up Friday at the entrance of Gateway Shopping Center on Swedesford Road as construction crews are replacing a wall that collapsed in September during Hurricane Ida.

Torrential downpours from Hurricane Ida caused flooding, closing many of the stores and knocking down a stone wall at the entrance of the shopping center in Tredyffrin Township.
Crews from Meco Constructors Inc., Bensalem, Buck County, were building a dam on the bank of Trout Creek to lay the foundation for a new wall.
The wall was damaged during summer storms, collapsing when Hurricane Ida flooded along the creek and highways throughout the region. The hurricane caused flooding in many of the stores and covered the parking lot in mud.
Tony Pinto, foreman, said the work began at the end of January and is expected to be completed in April.
Pinto said the wall is necessary to avoid safety issues from heavy rainstorms.
A makeshift traffic light is placed at the entrance of the shopping center to slow down traffic.
Pinto said the new wall will be about 30 feet long, and 2 feet high.
The creek runs behind the shopping center and Anthony Wayne Drive.
The cost of the project was unavailable.
Eric Davidson, a spokesman for Regency Centers, said the new wall will look nearly identical to the wall that was there before the damage.
"It is being constructed in a way that will mitigate the kinds of structural damage it took last summer," Davidson said.