Route 202 Parkway Nearing Completion, December Opening Planned
By Brad Segall
MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa. (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has announced the timetable for when it plans to open the long-awaited Route 202 Parkway, designed to improve traffic flow in Montgomery and Bucks counties.
The concept for a new Route 202 dates back nearly half a century, and now it's just about two months from reality.
Penndot says the $200-million parkway will open in early December, improving traffic flow for motorists traveling between Montgomeryville and Doylestown.
Contractors are still putting on the finishing touches.
"The painting of traffic lines, a number of highway signs that have to be installed," explains Penndot spokesman Gene Blaum. "We're installing Intelligent Transportation System equipment not only on the parkway but on other parallel and connecting routes."
The Intelligent Transportation System includes sensors that detect traffic flow connected to programmable overhead signs that will alert drivers of slowdowns ahead. There's also extensive landscaping that needs to be completed.
The parkway will have a 40-mph speed limit and ten signalized intersections along the way.
There's also a shared-use path for bikers and walkers that runs the entire length of the roadway -- nearly nine miles.
