FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – SECTION RC3
The purpose of this project is to facilitate safe and efficient travel within and through the project study area to meet current and future transportation needs while providing a functional and modern roadway that meets driver expectations.
The project is currently in the process of beginning additional (more detailed) environmental reviews through an Environmental Assessment. This began in November 2024 and will involve additional public involvement, including a public hearing.
We anticipate additional virtual plans display (via this project website) and a virtual public meeting in 2025 as part of the Environmental Assessment process. Invitations and announcements will be made once the public meeting has been scheduled. Comments can be submitted at any time via the comment section of this website, email to info@us1bucks.com, or in writing to:
Sibty Hasan, P.E., P.M.P.
PennDOT District 6-0
7000 Geerdes Boulevard
King of Prussia, PA 19406
This project will not widen PA 413 (Pine Street) north of Flowers Avenue. Additionally, PennDOT does not have any plans for the future widening of PA 413 (Pine Street) through Langhorne Borough.
The project will not significantly increase traffic on PA 413 north of Gillam Avenue. It is anticipated that some traffic will redistribute between the existing PA 213 (Maple Avenue) interchange and the proposed PA 413 (Pine Street) interchange.
However, since there are already connections between U.S. 1 and PA 413 via Bellevue Avenue and Gillam Avenue in the area of the proposed interchange, traffic is not expected to increase significantly based on the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Travel Model and PennDOT traffic analysis.
Overall, the RC3 project will result in minor increases in traffic on Langhorne Manor’s Gillam Avenue. It is anticipated that traffic will redistribute along Gillam Avenue at each intersection based on driver destinations.
Based on updated PennDOT traffic analysis completed in 2024, AM peak hour traffic is projected to see a 29% increase, which is an average increase of 50 vehicles per intersection for the nine (9) intersections studied along Gillam Avenue, and the PM peak hour is anticipated to see a 17% increase, which is an average increase of 35 vehicles per intersection for the nine (9) intersections studied along Gillam Avenue.
Almost all of this increase is expected to be east of the intersection with West Interchange Road, with the largest increase occurring at the intersection with Pine Street due to the new interchange. It is expected that the increase will be mostly local traffic that previously used the frontage road, now traveling to the newly constructed interchange.
Operationally, the most affected stop-controlled intersections are projected to still operate with minimal delay. At the same time, the internal neighborhood roads will see a decrease in cut-through traffic as traffic is redistributed onto the collector and arterial roads. PennDOT is also investigating additional traffic-calming treatment options along Gillam Avenue.
The RC3 project will not significantly increase truck traffic through Langhorne Borough. It is anticipated that some truck traffic that currently utilizes the existing PA 213 (Maple Avenue) interchange to travel north on PA 413 (Pine Street) will redistribute to the proposed PA 413 (Pine Street) interchange. This would allow the trucks to avoid making tight right turns at the intersection of PA 413 (Pine Street) and PA 213 (Maple Avenue) and allow a straight-through movement. These projections are based on the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Travel Model and PennDOT traffic analysis.
PennDOT’s traffic count data from February 2024 showed 8 Heavy Trucks and 104 buses/single unit trucks (or 112 total trucks/buses) in the morning peak hour and 6 Heavy Trucks and 49 buses/single unit trucks (or 55 total trucks/buses) in the afternoon peak hour.
PennDOT’s online traffic count data from 2024 indicates 3% truck traffic and 511 total trucks and buses along PA 413 (Pine Street) north of the intersection, and 12% truck traffic and 1522 total trucks and buses along PA 413 (Pine Street) south of the intersection.
As part of the Environmental Assessment, PennDOT conducted additional traffic counts in winter 2024 throughout the entire project area to ensure as accurate an assessment as possible of the existing traffic conditions along the entire project corridor.
Two new traffic signals will be added along PA 413 (Pine Street) as part of this project. One traffic signal will be at the intersection of PA 413 (Pine Street) with the proposed U.S. 1 northbound ramp and Woods Drive, and the second traffic signal will be at the intersection of PA 413 (Pine Street) with the proposed U.S. 1 southbound ramp and Gillam Avenue. The traffic signals will control and direct traffic through these intersections. Crosswalks and bicycle/pedestrian facilities will be provided for and accommodated at these intersections.
The PennDOT design team investigated proposed roundabouts at the PA 413 / proposed U.S. 1 ramp intersections and found that due to traffic flow patterns, specifically at the PA 413 / U.S. 1 SB ramp intersection, proposed roundabouts result in traffic queuing (backing up) onto U.S. 1 during peak travel times within 10 years (2035). As such, roundabouts at these intersections are no longer being considered.
Modern roundabouts are not the same as traffic circles and provide significant safety and operational improvements over traffic circles. Please watch the video at the following link for further explanation. https://youtu.be/nNXRlWgAVOg
Yes, the project provides the following proposed pedestrian and bicycle accommodations:
- A 10-foot-wide sidepath is proposed along the east side of PA 413 (Pine Street), and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk is proposed along the west side of PA 413 (Pine Street) within the project limits to connect the existing sidewalks north and south of the project.
- 5-foot-wide paved shoulders will be provided on the West Interchange Road and Corn Crib Lane overpasses.
- In areas where the existing frontage (service) roads are no longer needed, the design team is investigating replacing the existing pavement with a shared-use (pedestrian and bicyclist) path. This is being done in coordination with the local municipalities. As of now, Middletown Township has voiced its support for including a shared-use path, while Langhorne Manor Borough has requested not to have the path within their respective boundaries.
A detailed noise study is being completed for the project. If warranted, reasonable, and feasible in accordance with PennDOT Publication 24, noise walls will be proposed as part of this project.
In areas where noise walls are proposed, the local impacted property owners will have a vote on whether to accept the noise wall. A simple majority will determine whether the potential proposed noise wall will be incorporated into the project.
Construction is currently anticipated to begin in 2029. Due to the complexity of the proposed project, construction is anticipated to take three years to complete.
In areas where the frontage (service) roads are needed for access to adjacent properties, they will be retained but disconnected from U.S. 1. In areas where existing frontage roads are no longer needed, the design team is investigating replacing the existing pavement with a shared-use (pedestrian and bicyclist) path. This is being done in coordination with the local municipalities.
In areas where frontage roads are no longer needed, the adjacent connecting local roads will be terminated with hammerhead turnarounds. Hammerhead turnarounds are being proposed instead of cul-de-sacs to minimize impacts to adjacent property owners.
First and foremost, the project addresses safety by closing the intermediate access crossovers between the frontage roads and U.S. 1. These locations are known to have a high crash frequency.
Secondly, the project replaces the concrete separator islands with proposed 12-foot to 14-foot-wide paved shoulders and concrete median barriers. These improvements provide safe pull-off areas for disabled vehicles as well as keep errant vehicles on U.S. 1.
Thirdly, the project replaces the remaining three overpasses on U.S. 1 between I-295 and the I-276 (PA Turnpike) that have deficient vertical clearance, which reduces the likelihood of vehicles striking the overpasses.
Predictive safety analysis of the above-mentioned improvements indicates that fewer crashes are expected in this build scenario versus the no build scenario along U.S. 1 and the service roads. This reduction can be attributed to the removal of the service roads and the associated intermediate crossovers. Additionally, crashes on the overall local road network are expected to remain essentially the same, with a minimal reduction in the build scenario that can be attributed to the installation of the proposed roundabouts and mini-roundabout.
If your property (or a portion of your property) is needed for the project, a PennDOT representative will contact you once plans have been prepared for the Acquisition of Right-of-Way in the final design phase of the project. See the brochure below for more information.
PennDOT and the project team provide updates on this website and through our email subscription list. Click here to subscribe to email updates.
Over the footprint of the entire project, it is anticipated that approximately 3 acres of impervious surface will be removed and converted to green space (not accounting for a potential multi-use trail in place of the removed sections of frontage road).
Following guidance outlined in PennDOT’s Design Manual* the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for this project was coordinated between PennDOT**, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the project design consultant team.
Based on these discussions, the anticipated proposed project improvements, along with recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), PennDOT, and the FHWA concluded that the environmental study for Section RC3 would be an Environmental Assessment (EA), as the significance of the impacts was not yet fully known.
During the past several years, the project team has been completing the necessary environmental and engineering studies, coordinating with the various review agencies, conducting municipal and public outreach efforts, developing impact assessments, and identifying avoidance, minimization, and mitigation efforts for the project.
PennDOT will be using this information to prepare the EA documentation and will make this material available for public comment prior to finalizing the environmental process for this project, currently anticipated in Fall 2025 / Winter 2026.
- *Publication 10B – Design Manual Part 1B (Post-TIP NEPA Procedures)
- ** PennDOT District 6-0 and PennDOT Central Office
PA 413 (Pine Street) is federally classified as a Regional Principal Arterial. This classification of roadway is meant to carry most trips entering and leaving the area and serves intra-area travel. In the existing condition, U.S. 1 traffic must exit the mainline via frontage roads and then disperse onto neighborhood streets, and then travelers work their way to a major street (e.g., Pine Street) to continue or complete their trips. Providing a direct connection to PA 413 (Pine Street) via an interchange reduces traffic on neighborhood streets and places vehicles directly onto PA 413 (Pine Street) via a modern interchange design.
Current practice is to provide 16’-6” of clearance for a bridge over a highway like U.S. 1. PA 413 (Pine Street) is posted for a minimum clearance of 13’-11” and has been accidentally struck previously, most recently on April 12, 2022, by under-passing trucks.
PennDOT is only able to restrict truck traffic based on engineering justification (e.g., deficient vertical clearances, bridge weight limitations, pavement structure) or due to traffic conditions. PA routes and primary highways are generally not posted with truck restrictions and are preferred highway facilities to accommodate truck traffic (in comparison to neighborhood streets).
Changes to the designation of PA 413 are not part of this project. The designation or redesignation of PA 413 would involve the Bucks County Planning Commission and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in coordination with PennDOT and other regional stakeholders. Any redesignation of PA 413 needs to examine regional travel patterns, which are beyond the scope of this project. With the availability of modern traffic routing tools and smartphone applications, such a redesignation would likely have a minimal effect on traffic volumes passing through Langhorne Borough.
PennDOT and its design consultant engineer previously completed an initial high-level investigation into both a tunneling option and a potential depressed roadway alternative with access (bridge) crossings. The initial investigations had the cost of tunneling in the range of $900M to $1.3B based on similar projects nationwide. The initial investigations into a depressed roadway (excluding capping with green space) were in the range of $300M to $400M. Additionally, future maintenance would also need to be taken into account, which is considerably higher for an underground facility when compared to a typical at-grade roadway. Lastly, detailed studies/reports were not completed for either option to determine constructability/feasibility.