Kristina CooperThe construction on Route 202 and Gulph Road has been working on everyone’s nerves since the project started three years ago, on March 16, 1999.
In December 1991, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation decided to reconstruct Route 202 and Gulph Road in order to, “widen the section US 202 and to improve interchanges at I-76, US 422 and Chesterbrook Boulevard,” according to PENNDOT’s website. While the outcome may prove to be a significant benefit for commuters, many of the Route 202 travelers have had their patience tested.
“Coming off Route 422 to Route 202 is a nightmare. Not only is the merging lane small, but there are no shoulders when you first merge on so you have no extra space to react to traffic flow,” sophomore Ashley Szweda said. “Plus, because the lanes are so small, when people come off the Turnpike and 76, it gets too crammed and I am getting tired of sitting in the traffic.”
The construction is also backing up the already heavy King of Prussia mall traffic, at the two lane traffic light at Route 202 and Gulph Road.
“The commute to the mall is horrible,” sophomore physical therapy major Matt Dzuryachko said, who works at the mall, “I have to leave a half hour early to go to work when normally it should only take 15 minutes. It is a crawl coming home and I almost always sit at the Route 202 and Gulph Road intersection light for at least 10 minutes. It is very hectic and frustrating, not to mention confusing.”
The chaos of the mall traffic does not even touch the madness of morning, afternoon and evening rush hour traffic. The intersection is especially crammed at these times, which makes it difficult for construction crews to work during daylight hours.
A tragedy occurred recently when a cement truck struck a worker at the construction site. The accident occurred at the intersection of Route 202 and North Gulph Road. Accordingto PENNDOT, the worker was hit by the cement truck and died shortly thereafter.
The construction around Route 202 is a four-year plan, so commuters still have some time to go for the Route 202 and Gulph Road construction project to come to a halt. However, when the construction is done, PENNDOT assures travelers that they will be more than happy with the outcome, even if they have a few gray hairs because of it.
