The process of developing a comprehensive source of commonly asked questions and answers is ongoing. Please contact the Woodhaven Road Project Team if you need additional information.

• Environmental Planning Process
  
• Alternatives Under Consideration
  
• Other Suggested Alternatives
  
• Traffic and Transportation
  
• Right-of-Way
  
• Stormwater Management
  
• Well Water
  
• Erosion
  
• Noise Walls
  
• Off-set Alignment
  
• Utilities
  
• Sidewalks
  
• Safety
  
• Vibration Monitoring
  

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING PROCESS

Q: What is the PENNDOT 10-Step Process?

A: The PENNDOT 10-Step Process is the preliminary design phase of PENNDOT's Transportation Project Development Process (see Figure). The 10-Step Process provides the framework for the involvement of resource agencies and the public in the environmental and alternative evaluations of project studies.

Q: Which step of PENNDOT's 10-Step Project Development Process does the Woodhaven Road Project currently fall under?

A: The Woodhaven Road Project is currently on Step 5 of the PENNDOT 10-Step Process.  Step 5 is the Detailed Alternative Analysis -- a process where alternatives are evaluated for inclusion in the Draft EIS. Step 6 will include approval and circulation of the Draft EIS for public and agency review and comment.

Q: How many alternatives are currently being studied?

A: There are currently five proposed alternatives. Four of the five alternatives are considered "build" alternatives. These include the Byberry Road Upgrade Alternative, the Woodhaven Extension Alternative, the Bustleton Avenue Alternative and the Bustleton Avenue Alternative Modified. In addition, the No Build Alternative, or "do nothing" alternative is included as a baseline for all proposed alternatives.

Q: Does PENNDOT know which alternative will eventually be constructed?

A: No. All alternatives need to be reviewed by Federal agencies before one can be selected for additional detailed study. At this stage of the project development process, PENNDOT does not know which alternative will eventually be selected and subsequently built.

Q: Shouldn't PENNDOT do more environmental, historical, and engineering studies before they tell us what alternatives are possible?

A: The EIS process stipulates that all environmental, historical and engineering studies be undertaken during the preliminary design phase to reach a preferred alternative.

Q: How much land has the state already condemned for this project? Will the state offer relocated businesses any of this land?

A: Thirty-five properties were acquired by PENNDOT in the mid-1970s for the project. Property owners that need to be relocated will receive assistance at the proper time and unused right-of-way will be relinquished according to PENNDOT policies and procedures for excess properties. However, we are a long way from knowing which property owners will need such assistance, and what, if any, property will remain unused.

Q: Do these plans cater to the commuters who are not from the study area?

A: Maintaining a roadway that enhances the movement of goods and services in a safe manner is PENNDOTπs primary mission. All state residents, regardless of where they live, are entitled to a safe and efficient roadway network.

Q: What are the implications if Byberry Road becomes a state highway?

A: The maintenance of state highways ultimately becomes PENNDOT's responsibility, which means that expense will no longer fall to the local government.

Q: Can the alternatives presented in the Woodhaven Road DEIS be voted on by residents during the next election?

A: No. The EIS process is federally mandated. It requires that all alternatives be given equal weight, with the preferred alternative chosen that best solves the transportation problem while minimizing the impacts to the community.

Q: How will Lower Moreland Township's revenue be affected if families are relocated and the township must assume more costs?

A: To date, there is no data indicating that relocated families move away from their community.


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ALTERNATIVES UNDER CONSIDERATION

Q: Will the Woodhaven Extension Alternative have on- and off-ramps at Worthington Road, Bustleton Avenue, and Philmont Avenue?

A: The Woodhaven Extension Alternative will not provide on- and off-ramps at Worthington Road, but will pass over Worthington Road. An extension of Northeast Boulevard north from its current terminus to Worthington Road will be proposed to facilitate access of local traffic from Stevens Road and Sewell Road.

The Woodhaven Extension Alternative will provide fully directional signalized interchanges at both Philmont Avenue and Bustleton Avenue. Local traffic will still have access to Byberry Road.

Q: Will the Woodhaven Extension Alternative or the Byberry Road Upgrade Alternative allow for traffic to enter and exit at Pine Road and South Buck Road?

A: Under both alternatives, Byberry Road will remain at-grade with access to existing cross streets, including Pine Road and south Buck Road. Signalized intersection improvements will be made along Byberry Road as warranted.

Q: Does the Woodhaven Extension Alternative affect the Woodhaven Frontage Road that is a small street west of Bustleton Avenue?

A: Under the Woodhaven Extension Alternative, the existing Woodhaven Road that serves as a frontage road for homes in the Westwood neighborhood will remain.

Q: Why has PENNDOT proposed the Bustleton Avenue Alternative now, when the project has been studied for over 30 years?

A: The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process requires that all reasonable and prudent alternatives be evaluated. The new traffic projections and logical termination point resulted in the need for PENNDOT to evaluate several alternatives that were not originally considered. All four build alternatives presently being studied could reasonably solve the transportation needs of the community. The EIS will be used as a decision-making tool to quantify and compare the relative impacts of these alternatives.

Q: Has PENNDOT undertaken a specific study of businesses in the study area to determine how they would be affected by any widening of existing roads?

A: Potential impacts to the social environment for all the alternatives presently under consideration will be evaluated in the EIS. Traffic projections are being evaluated to determine the highway configuration for all proposed build alternatives. If widening is necessary, the impacts to the residential and commercial properties will be further evaluated to minimize impacts. During final design, PENNDOT will contact affected property owners to explain the right-of-way process. All affected property owners will be compensated in accordance with the Pennsylvania code.

Q: Will the proposed alternatives affect the Delaware Valley High School on Bustleton Avenue at Petoni Place?

A: Potential impacts to the school will be determined as part of the EIS process. Final determination of additional right-of-way, interruptions to school operations and other potential impacts will be made during the final design phase. It is still too early to know the impacts to individual parcels, including the school.

Q: Has PENNDOT estimated the expected condemnation costs for the proposed build alternatives?

A: Right-of-way costs will be estimated during the EIS process. More information will be made available as it is developed.

Q: Are ramps being built on Stevens Road at Byberry Road? Doesn't this present more of a danger near that intersection?

A: Under both the Woodhaven Extension Alternative and Bustleton Avenue Alternative, the extension of Woodhaven Road will be constructed through the land currently owned by PENNDOT. Both Stevens Road and Sewell Road will be segmented by the new roadway under these circumstances. There will be at-grade connections for Stevens Road and Sewell Road (both are currently one-way roads in opposing directions), so that local traffic will have access to Byberry Road at Worthington Road as well as direct access across the railroad to Byberry Road. The Bustleton Avenue Alternative currently provides a local access connection from Bustleton Avenue to Northeast Boulevard/Worthington Road.

Q: In reference to all build alternatives: Will traffic be able to access Northeast Boulevard directly from Woodhaven Road? Will the current Northeast Boulevard be widened between Tomlinson Road and Red Lion Road?

A: Northeast Boulevard would not have direct access from the extension of Woodhaven Road. It will connect to Worthington Road under the extension. We have not investigated widening Northeast Avenue, only extending it from the current end point just north of Renard Street to the intersection of Worthington Road and Byberry Road.

Q: Will sound walls be installed along Woodhaven Road if the road is built in the existing PENNDOT right-of-way?

A: PENNDOT will evaluate the construction of warranted, feasible and reasonable noise abatement measures for all of the alternatives. Preliminary noise analysis will be performed as part of the EIS. However, the project is still in its preliminary design phase. Feasibility and location of potential noise barriers will be accurately determined during final design.

Q: Is there a more detailed map available for the Bustleton Avenue and Woodhaven Extension alternatives?

A: As more detailed graphics and maps are developed, they will become available for viewing on this web site.


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OTHER SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES

Q: Does PENNDOT plan to study the widening of County Line Road from Buck Road to west of Huntingdon Pike in conjunction with this project?

A: Upgrading County Line Road between Buck Road and New Road is now being considered as part of this project.

Q: Has joining Woodhaven Road to County Line Road via some kind of "S"-shaped road running near the CSX rail line been considered?

A: A preliminary study of this alternative was performed. Over 130 residential units and 10 businesses were potentially affected by this alignment. In addition to the purchase of the new alignment, changes in grade brought about by the need to span one creek and commuter and freight railroads would require the construction of multiple structures. Therefore, it was never advanced to a more detailed level of analysis.

Q: Have you considered terminating the Woodhaven Expressway at U.S. Route 1 (The Roosevelt Boulevard) and emptying PA Route 63 onto the 12 lanes of U.S. 1?

A: Terminating the Woodhaven Expressway at U.S. 1 does not effectively address the needs of the transportation network in this region of Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks counties. Currently, the next adjacent crossing of the railroads is either Street Road to the north or Red Lion Road to the south. Since these links exist today and drivers choose to travel Byberry Road through the study area in spite of the current level of congestion, the need for this connection is real.

Q: PENNDOT was originally going to connect Woodhaven Road to the PA Turnpike. Why has this western terminus been changed?

A: During the early 1970s, the Woodhaven Road Advisory Panel– comprised of representatives from the City of Philadelphia, Montgomery County and Bucks County, and PENNDOT– recommended that the extension terminate at the intersection of Byberry Road and Philmont Avenue rather than farther west at the turnpike. This decision reflected the concern over the greater social and environmental impacts that would be placed on the community with the longer extension.


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TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION

Q: Has PENNDOT studied the potential safety impacts of tractor-trailer traffic on Byberry Road between Philmont Avenue and Pine Road? The existing steep grade and the lack of a shoulder make driving dangerous during freezing weather.

A: As part of every project, PENNDOT considers both current issues as well as impacts as a result of improvements. As part of all alternatives the bridge over the CSX tracks on Byberry Road will be replaced, which will increase truck traffic westward. Safety improvements to reduce the grade from Philmont Avenue to Pine Road will also be considered.

Q: What did PENNDOT do for traffic projections?

A: Future traffic conditions were analyzed using traffic projections provided by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). These traffic forecasts were developed using a traffic simulation model that considers expected growth in population, housing, employment and planned highway improvements both within and outside the detailed study area.
 
The DVRPC model projected the number of vehicular trips to be generated; the destination of those trips; the modes of transportation to be used; and finally, it assigned projected traffic volumes for individual roadways throughout the study area. These volumes are required to evaluate potential transportation improvement alternatives. Morning and afternoon peak hour design year (2026) traffic volumes were also established so that operational characteristics (e.g.: levels of service) could be determined.

Q: The majority of the traffic comes from Churchville, Holland and Richboro – not Lower Moreland Township. Wouldnπt it make more sense to improve traffic conditions on County Line Road?

A: With the exception of the No Build Alternative, all proposed build alternatives are designed to accommodate traffic that is routed to County Line Road. Upgrading County Line Road from just east of Pine Road to just west of New Road is being studied as part of this project.

Q: If Byberry Road becomes a four-lane road, will additional traffic begin to use Southampton Road, which is also a residential two-lane road?

A: Traffic projections indicate that regardless of the alternative selected, making improvements to the roadway network will mean a decline in traffic volume on the surrounding roads, including Southampton Road. Currently, some motorists use Southampton Road to avoid the congestion on Byberry Road. It is anticipated that after improvements are made, traffic will shift to the new or upgraded roadway.

Q: Has PENNDOT surveyed drivers to find out where they are traveling to and from each time they use Woodhaven Road to develop a master plan to improve overall traffic flows?

A: PENNDOT is focused on improving the entire transportation network. To help facilitate this effort, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has modeled the various improvements to determine their effects. In order to accurately model improvements and changes to the transportation network, DVRPC conducts many different types of surveys, including gathering information on employment and population trends to use in their models. The figures from the study area include data collected from the Woodhaven Road in the east, to west of County Line Road and Huntingdon Pike.


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RIGHT-OF-WAY

Q: If an interchange is constructed at Bustleton Avenue, would some or all of Somerton Avenue be acquired/demolished?

Q: If Woodhaven Road is extended to Philmont Avenue, will you need to acquire additional right-of-way?

Q: For those who live on Byberry Road near Stevens Road, how much back yard will be taken if Woodhaven Road is extended through the existing PENNDOT right-of-way?

A: PENNDOT strives to minimize the amount of right-of-way it needs to acquire for transportation improvement projects. The project is still in its preliminary design phase, which means that estimates have been made as to the project's limits. A determination of the required right-of-way will be accomplished during final design.

Q: Why are other alternatives being considered when PENNDOT has already purchased right-of-way for the extension?

A: Major transportation improvement projects require the development of an EIS. PENNDOT must evaluate all feasible and prudent alternatives for the project in the EIS. Building portions of the highway within PENNDOT's existing right-of-way is still one of the proposed build alternatives under consideration. All options must be given equal weight in the alternatives analysis phase of the project.


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STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

Q: Why did PENNDOT consider acquiring four houses along County Line Road for detention basins?

A: The reasons for the large preliminary size of the basins— which would require the acquisition of four homes— was PENNDOTπs attempt to reduce or eliminate the existing flooding problems downstream in Lower Southampton. This effort, however, was not because of the construction of proposed improvements to County Line Road. Basins required to handle the flow from County Line Road improvements alone would be much smaller and preliminary design indicates they could be located to avoid any residential relocations (although they would require some property acquisition).

Q: Have other options besides the basins been considered? Will the detention basins really help maintain and manage Mill Creek? How wide and deep will the detention basins be? Is it possible to place the drainage basins along another section of Mill Creek since there are a number of drainage problems in the area?

A: Drainage is evaluated as part of the design of any proposed transportation project. If one of the build alternatives is chosen for construction, PENNDOT will install stormwater management measures to the extent possible.

Q: Why did PENNDOT change its mind and decide that acquiring peopleπs houses was not necessary after all?

A: The preliminary design and EIS procedure PENNDOT follows involves the public in the design development process. We feel itπs important to present preliminary concepts to the public, get feedback, then modify or refine the design, go back to the public etc. Involving the public in this way should make it clear that we are trying to be responsive to the publicπs concerns rather than acting unilaterally, or dictating solutions without public input.

Itπs possible a larger basin or combination of basins that would help solve the existing flooding problem could be located so as to avoid residential relocations. However, if it is the desire of the Upper Southampton Township and the community that PENNDOT alleviate the Townshipπs flooding problems, we may have to consider constructing larger detention basins as part of this project.

Q: It seems as if PENNDOT canπt make up its mind regarding storm water drainage along County Line Road. Can you explain?

A: Drainage and storm water management is an important part of any highway project and storm water basins can have significant impacts. However, the design of these facilities is not a straight-line process. Itπs complicated and there can be many different design solutions to accomplish the same result.

Based on a more detailed analysis (although still not final design) we can say with confidence that the existing and additional storm water runoff from County Line Road can be handled in small basins that will not require the relocation of residents during final design. The exact location and size will be determined so as to minimize acquisition of private property and impacts to the community.

Q: Donπt you understand residents need to know whether you are going to take their house or not?

A: PENNDOT understands the uncertainty that exists for people when we show alternatives that would require acquisition of their property. At this time we donπt need to acquire any residences to build the necessary basins for this project. However, the study of all the Woodhaven Road alternatives involve the possible relocation of some residences. What we need to do is reach a decision on the project to minimize the uncertainty.


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WELL WATER

Q: Many of the residents along County Line Road and Mill Creek have water supplied by wells. Will additional pollutants be added to the water supply?

A: No. Stormwater management basins also provide a secondary benefit in helping to reduce water-born pollution. Pollutants leaving the roadway surface are carried into the stormwater management basins. The detention period provided by the basins then allows for some of the pollutants to settle out of the water column and bind with the basinπs soils or become absorbed by the basinπs vegetation.

Measures will also be taken to reduce the risk of contaminating local aquifers. These measures include the implementation of effective erosion and sediment controls.


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EROSION

Q: Wonπt Mill Creek still erode its bed that runs along the back of many homes despite the fact that a detention basin is being placed nearby? What will PENNDOT do if the creek bed happens to erode?

A: Bank stabilization measures will be constructed adjacent to new outlets as part of the extension or replacement of existing pipes that outlet to Mill Creek. Proposed detention basins will account for any increased stormwater runoff from the roadway. The remaining drainage patterns will remain unchanged by the proposed construction.


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NOISE WALLS

Q: Which side of County Line Road would receive sound barriers? Why are sound barriers considered in this stretch of roadway and not from New Road out to Warrington?

A: Noise barriers have been preliminarily determined to be needed for both sides of County Line Road for the limits of the project based on existing and projected noise levels. However, they have been determined to be effective only on the south side of the County Line Road between Huntington Pike and Buck Road. This section has reverse frontage lots on County Line Road. On the Bucks County side, however, their construction is not feasible because the driveways and intersecting streets would diminish their effectiveness.

Barrier heights are determined through a noise analysis, which is standard PENNDOT operating procedure. Sound barrier placements are determined during Final Design. Residents along the front and back of the sound barriers would be invited to a meeting to determine if they want sound barriers and given the opportunity to select the surface treatment for the barriers.

These noise study results are based on preliminary engineering design and are of a general nature. The exact noise mitigation would be determined through coordination with the public throughout the environmental and final design phases of the project. Barriers would not be "forced" on the community, and specifics related to height, benefit, and aesthetics would be developed with the public.

Q: Why are sound barriers considered in this stretch of roadway and not from New Road out to Warrington?

A: Sound barriers are determined on a project-to-project basis. The area from New Road out to Warrington does not fall within the Woodhaven Road project area.


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OFF-SET ALIGNMENT

Q: Is there any possibility to change the alignment of County Line Road?

A: North, south and central alignments were investigated by PENNDOT previously, and the decision was made to keep the alignment along the centerline at this time. This can be further investigated at final design.


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UTILITIES

Q: Will the utility poles be moved closer to the homes on County Line Road?

A: The final location of the utility poles will be determined during final design. It is possible that the utility poles will be placed closer to the homes on County Line Road. Relocation of existing utilities is a coordination effort between the owners of the utilities, PENNDOT and the design team.


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SIDEWALKS

Q: Will sidewalks be placed along County Line Road?

A: At the present time, current design does not account for the incorporation of sidewalks. Constructing sidewalks would use additional land from the adjacent properties. This is another issue that will be explored and resolved during final design. If the township wants sidewalks, they need to provide PENNDOT with a contract stating the township will maintain the sidewalks.


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SAFETY

Q: What safety measures will be taken for the properties along County Line Road? What will help prevent the cars from creeping on to lawns at intersections?

A: At this time, the project team is still estimating how much property is needed for the roadway. Curbs are recommended along County Line Road, which is entirely appropriate for the level of traffic forecast and design speed. Curbs act as a barrier at low speeds and help keep vehicles in their travel lane. The project team will look into the options available.


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VIBRATION MONITORING

Q: What about the heavy impacts the construction vehicles would have on the houses and their foundations?

A: The roadways will be improved under normal conditions. Vibration monitoring will be project dependent. A base level of normal vibration would need to be obtained before construction begins in order to have a comparison for vibration activity that could result in damage of structures adjacent to the construction work.


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