PA 41 is an urban principal arterial roadway with a regional arterial, town center typology in the project area, and carries regional traffic as well as emergency service vehicles.
PA 41 has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour through the Borough of Avondale. PA 41 provides a two–lane crossing of the creek but expands to include an exclusive left-turn lane at each adjacent intersection. This suburban area consists primarily of commercial and residential development. There are sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, with pedestrian and bicycle accommodations within the borough.
State Street is an urban collector roadway in the project area and is Borough-owned. The existing AADT on State St is approximately 4,700 vehicles per day, including 5% trucks.
1st Street does not carry a functional classification and is also Borough-owned. No traffic information is available for State Street.
Avondale Borough is defined as a historic district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This project will evaluate the deficient geometry of the intersection, consider realignment of 1st Street approach, improve sight distance, investigate additional turning lanes and ITS features, improve sidewalk and pedestrian access, and accommodate heavy vehicle traffic at the intersection.
In 2019, we initiated preliminary studies for improvements to the PA 41 / State Street intersection. We have completed an initial environmental overview, traffic analysis, and field surveys and have begun to develop a range of conceptual solutions. The PA 41 Bridge over White Clay Creek, which is located within 300’ of the intersection, is also being evaluated for rehabilitation or replacement. Due to the proximity of the bridge, alternatives developed for the two areas may influence each other.
Both projects are located within the Avondale Historic District, which was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Since that time, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has commented that the historic district National Register of Historic Places boundary should be re-evaluated to remove non-contributing buildings, and that the context for the historic district should be updated and strengthened. As part of these projects, the consultant team for PennDOT has prepared documentation to update the historic district documentation. Coordination between PennDOT and SHPO regarding the historic boundary revision is ongoing.
The initial study of the PA 41/State Street intersection focused on developing conceptual solutions consisting of low to medium-cost improvements. Examples include signal equipment and pedestrian access upgrades, and various combinations of additional turn lanes and re-alignment of the side approaches to improve sight distance. As a result of community input, two more options focused on improving the intersection’s capacity are currently being evaluated by the project team. One option is to replace the existing traffic signal with a multi-lane roundabout. The second option includes adding a second southbound through lane from State Street to Baltimore Pike and upgrading the existing traffic signal. Right-of-way impacts associated with each option are a primary consideration through this developed area. PennDOT will continue to coordinate with Avondale Borough and gather public input before a final decision is made.
