Individuals Concerned for Newtown Square

EXISTING TRAFFIC SETTING

Introduction
The intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), as well as the surrounding area, currently experiences high traffic volumes, and increasing development pressure, which will add more traffic, despite limited roadway capacity. The Newtown Township Comprehensive Plan has identified potential existing and proposed corridors to allow traffic to circumvent the intersection of these state routes and relieve the traffic congestion. Although the current landscape is largely developed with residential and commercial uses, densely filling several quadrants of the subject intersection, there is the potential to provide new alternative routes with cooperation from property owners and future developers. Newtown Township has undertaken this traffic study to develop alternatives to relieve existing and anticipated congestion with new roadway improvements and to create opportunities for future traffic congestion relief. The goal of this study is to identify viable traffic improvement alternatives for the Newtown Square area that best manage the existing and future anticipated traffic volumes. Existing traffic deficiencies, additional future traffic due to projected development, and limited right-of-way and other constraints throughout the area must all be considered in developing an effective transportation improvement program. As a result, there is no single solution to address the existing and future transportation needs of the area, but rather, the Township must consider a system of phased improvements to be implemented over a period of time. Furthermore, because this area is not surrounded by vacant, available land, but rather it is a densely developed area with numerous constraints, it will be necessary to balance the need for traffic improvements to achieve acceptable operations with the limiting constraints that impact the ability to implement improvements as complete solutions to the traffic deficiencies.
Within this study are two future development scenarios. One, named the "pre-development" condition, includes regional traffic growth and traffic generated from previously approved area developments not built and occupied at the time of the traffic data collection effort. The second, named the "post-development" condition, will include the following pending local land development plans:

• Ellis Preserve Medical Office Building
• BPG Town Center
• Episcopal Academy Expansion
• Ashford (Rouse) Age-Qualified Residential Development
• DeBotton Retail Development

Traffic conditions for two future years were evaluated within this study for both the pre-development and post-development scenarios. The future year 2007 was evaluated in order to determine the most immediate needs of the Township based on existing traffic volumes and approved/pending developments likely to begin occupancy within the near future. The future 2017 design year was evaluated in order to determine the ultimate improvements needed for the transportation network to accommodate future regional growth and extensive proposed developments that will affect future traffic operations within the Township.

Existing Transportation Setting
Newtown Township, and specifically the Newtown Square area, is located at the crossroads of two major transportation corridors, specifically the east-west arterial West Chester Pike (PA Route 3), and the north-south arterial Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). The characteristics and location of these key roadways are significant in terms of connectivity to the adjacent municipalities, their access to major highways such as U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 30, and Interstate 476, and their use by existing and planned development within the surrounding areas, especially Newtown Square. The existing roadway network also provides several relief routes to bypass the congested intersection of West Chester Pike and Newtown Street Road, including Winding Way, Saint Albans Road, and Clyde Lane, which are important in this assessment. There are also various other key roadways which were the focus of this evaluation, including Bishop Hollow Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Gradyville Road, Troop Farm Road, and Goshen Road. These collector roadways also provide alternative routes for local and "pass-through" traffic. Some local roadways and major access intersections were also evaluated within this study, including Campus Boulevard, Boot Road, and the SAP accesses, as they have a significant effect on traffic operations within the study area.
Due to the nature of the roadway network within the study area, the focus of this evaluation was the congestion at the intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), and the effects of traffic bypassing this intersection on the surrounding roadway network, as shown in Figure 1. The existing roadways and intersections comprising the study area roadway network are described in this section.

Roadway Characteristics
The study area roadway network and characteristics are summarized below in Table 1.

The following key intersections in the vicinity of the site comprise the study area. Additionally, the dates the manual turning movement counts were completed are listed for each intersection.

West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252)  (June 2, 2004)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Bishop Hollow Road (June 17, 2004)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Winding Way/Roe Lane (June 17, 2004)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Ellis Avenue (March 28, 2006)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and SAP Access (June 17, 2004)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Boot Road (November 15-16, 2005)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Campus Boulevard (March 28, 2006)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Saint Albans Road/Newtown Square Shopping Center
Access (March 28, 2006)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Square Shopping Center (March 28, 2006)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Bryn Mawr Avenue (March 28, 2006)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and School Lane (June 17, 2004)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Rhoads Avenue (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Winding Way (June 17, 2004)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and SAP Access (June 17, 2004)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Goshen Road (June 17, 2004)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Troop Farm Road (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Gradyville Road (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Reese Avenue (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Whitehorse Road (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Caley Road (March 29, 2006)
Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Saw Mill Road (March 29, 2006)

The study intersections were reviewed and agreed upon by the Newtown Township officials and the Township Engineer.

Existing Traffic Volumes
Daily traffic counts were conducted along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) in the vicinity of Ellis Avenue, and along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) in the vicinity of Grady ville Road in March 2006, and the data is provided in Appendix B. Based on the counts, the two-way daily traffic volume along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) is approximately 32,200 vehicles per day, and the two-way daily traffic volume along Newtown Street Road is approximately 21,000 vehicles per day.

Manual turning movement traffic counts were conducted, or recent data was collected, for the 19 study intersections during the weekday morning peak period (7:00 AM to 9:00 AM) and the weekday afternoon peak period (4:00 PM to 6:00 PM) at each of the study intersections. The results of these traffic counts are tabulated by 15 minute intervals in Appendix C. The four highest consecutive 15 minute peak intervals during these traffic count periods constitute the peak hours that are the basis of this traffic analysis.

Seasonal adjustment factors contained in the PENNDOT publication, 2004 Pennsylvania Traffic Data, were reviewed to ensure that the collected counts reflect typical conditions. The collected traffic data generally reflects higher than average data; however, some of the data reflects lower than average data, and therefore, seasonal adjustment factors were utilized to adjust the data where appropriate. Accordingly, PENNDOT seasonal adjustment factors of 1.010 and 1.021 were utilized to adjust the peak hour traffic volumes upward to reflect average conditions at necessary intersections. The resultant peak hour traffic volumes were balanced (adjusted upwardly) between intersections where appropriate, and are depicted in Figures 2 and 3 for the weekday morning, and weekday afternoon peak hours, respectively.

Winding Way was constructed as a relief route to the West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) intersection, allowing traffic traveling to/from the west on West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and to/from the north on Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) to bypass the congested intersection. Traffic also utilizes Bishop Hollow Road/Clyde Lane as a route to travel between the south and north on Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) to avoid the congestion at West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). However, this route has a negative impact along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3), because the signalized intersection of Bishop Hollow Road/Clyde Lane/West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) is located in very close proximity to the intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), causing additional delay and vehicle queue issues. Additionally, traffic traveling to/from the east along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and to/from the north along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) are utilizing Saint Albans Road, again to bypass the congestion at the West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) intersection.

Existing Traffic Conditions
The peak hour traffic volumes were analyzed to determine the existing traffic operating conditions at the key study intersections, in accordance with the standard techniques contained in the current Highway Capacity Manual (2000). These standard capacity/level-of-service analysis techniques, which calculate total control delay, are more thoroughly described in Appendix D for both signalized and unsignalized intersections, as well as the correlation between average total control delay and the respective level of service (LOS) criteria for each intersection type. In the surrounding area, PENNDOT District 6-0, as well as many local municipalities, considers LOS A through D acceptable operating conditions which LOS E represents conditions approach capacity and LOS F indicated that traffic volumes have exceeded capacity.
The results of the existing capacity/level-of-service analyses are illustrated in Figure 4. Additionally, detailed capacity/level-of-service analysis worksheets are contained in Appendix E.
The results of the capacity analysis reveal that many of the study intersections currently operate with delay, either LOS E or F, during the weekday commuter peak hours, thus requiring improvements in order to achieve acceptable levels of service. Specifically, the following intersections currently experience delay on one or more movements during at least one peak hour:

Unsignalized Intersections
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Boot Road
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Ellis Avenue
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Troop Farm Road
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Reese Avenue
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Caley Road
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Saw Mill Road
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Whitehorse Road

Signalized Intersections
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Bishop Hollow Road/Clyde Lane
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252)
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Saint Albans Avenue
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Square Shopping Center Access
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Bryn Mawr Avenue
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Gradyville Road
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Winding Way
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and SAP Access
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Goshen Road

Delays at the unsignalized intersections occur on the minor street approaches. Generally, most of the delays at the signalized inlersections occur on heavy turning movements. Operations at the West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) intersections with Bishop Hollow Road/Clyde Lane and with Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) were observed to operate worse than the capacity/level-of-service analysis results indicate, due to the close spacing of the two signalized intersections, which results in vehicles queuing through the adjacent intersection.

Along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) south of its intersection with West Chester Pike (PA Route 3), two lanes are currently provided in each direction; however, both the northbound and southbound approaches taper to only a single through lane in each direction immediately south of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3). Therefore, the second northbound and southbound through lanes do not provide sufficient distance for queued vehicles traveling northbound, or for merging vehicles traveling southbound along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Under current conditions, it is necessary to lengthen the second through lane in each direction along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) south through the next signalized intersection at Mary Jane Lane/Alpha Drive.

Planned/Proposed Roadway Improvements
Based on the traffic impact studies gathered for several approved/proposed developments in the area, the following roadway improvements are currently proposed:
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Campus Boulevard/Alice Grim Boulevard - Addition of a
separate eastbound West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) left-turn lane with 220 feet of storage, a
separate westbound West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) right-turn lane, and an advanced West
Chester Pike (PA Route 3) left-turn traffic signal phase are currently under construction as
part of the Marville Shopping Center development. These improvements are assumed to be
completed by the 2017 design year.
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Boot Road - Addition of a center left-turn lane along West
Chester Pike (PA Route 3) to allow a two-stage left-turn movement exiting Boot Road is
proposed by the Ellis Preserve medical office development. These improvements are
assumed to be completed by the year 2007.
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and School Lane/Proposed Site Access - Installation of a
coordinated traffic signal, provision of separate southbound left- and right-turn lanes
exiting the proposed site access, a separate eastbound West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) left-
turn lane, a separate westbound West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) right-turn lane, and
maintaining the existing right-in/right-out only design of the northbound School Lane
approach are proposed by the Ellis Preserve medical office development. These
improvements are assumed to be completed by the year 2007.
• West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Winding Way/Roe Lane - Installation of signage to inform
motorists that Winding Way is a relief route to the congested West Chester Pike (PA Route
3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) intersection, extension of the eastbound West
Chester Pike (PA Route 3) left-turn lane to provide 150 feet of storage, and maintaining the
existing right-in/right-out only design of the northbound Roe Lane approach are proposed
by the Ellis Preserve medical office development. These improvements are assumed to be
completed by the year 2007.
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Winding Way - Addition of a southbound Newtown
Street Road (PA Route 252) right-turn lane is proposed by the Ellis Preserve medical office
development. These improvements are assumed to be completed by the year 2007.
• Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and Goshen Road - The following improvements are
proposed by the Ashford residential development, which are assumed to be completed by
the year 2007:
- Separate eastbound Goshen Road right-turn lane providing 250 feet of storage.
- Separate northbound Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) right-turn lane
providing 215 feet of storage.

Separate southbound Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) right-turn lane
providing 185 feet of storage.
Extend the eastbound Goshen Road left-turn lane to provide 300 feet of storage.
Extend the westbound Goshen Road right-turn lane to provide 175 feet of
storage.
Extend the northbound Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) left-turn lane to
provide 215 feet of storage.
Extend the southbound Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) left-turn lane to
provide 410 feet of storage.
The above listed planned/proposed improvements have been included in the future traffic analyses, either in the pre-development or post-development scenarios, as appropriate and as described in the following sections.

Future Pre-Development Traffic Volumes
This section presents the future "pre-development" traffic volumes, specifically the future traffic volumes prior to the completion of the specific proposed developments whose impacts are to be evaluated as part of this study.   Presented below are the traffic growth and known other development information for the area utilized to project pre-development traffic volumes for the future year 2007 and 2017 design year. The future years 2007 and 2017 pre-development traffic volumes were estimated by increasing the existing 2006 peak hour traffic volumes to account for regional and local traffic growth, as described below.

Local Traffic Growth
To account for local traffic growth, known future developments (other than those to be evaluated in this master traffic study) expected to have a significant effect on traffic conditions were identified, and the traffic impact studies for these developments were obtained. Accordingly, the following developments were included in the future traffic volume projections:
• SAP America Expansion - Construction of two buildings containing approximately 450,000
square feet of office space located on the SAP property on the north side of West Chester
Pike (PA Route 3), west of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Based on conversations
with SAP, this development is not assumed to be occupied until the future 2017 build-out
year.
• Lyondell Office Development - Occupancy of 450,000 square feet of office space located
directly east of the SAP headquarters on the north side of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3),
west of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Based on discussions with the property
owner, it is assumed that 240,000 square feet of office/warehousing space will be occupied
by the future 2007 opening year. Full build-out and occupancy is assumed for the 2017
design year.
• Holloway Tract - 41,200 square feet of office space, 295 age-qualified residential units, and a
77-bed Sunrise assisted living facility (the assisted living facility is currently built and
occupied) located along the eastern side of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), north of
Gradyville Road. In the future 2007 opening year, it is assumed that the office space will be
complete and occupied, and 50 percent of the residential portion will be complete and
occupied. Full build-out and occupancy is assumed for the 2017 design year.
• Alberto Tract - 202 residential condominiums located along the eastern side of Newtown
Street Road (PA Route 252), south of the Newtown Shopping Center. It is assumed that 50
percent of the units will be built and occupied in the future 2007 opening year. Full build-
out and occupancy is assumed for the 2017 design year.
• Joyfor Development - 38,836 square feet of vacant Newtown Business Center space, 574,597
square feet of retail space, a 300-seat cultural center, and 225 hotel rooms located along the
north side of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) along Alice Grim Boulevard. It is assumed that only occupancy of the Newtown Business Center space will occur in the future 2007 opening year. Full build-out and occupancy is assumed for the 2017 design year.
• Edgemont Development - Occupancy of 32,315 square feet of vacant retail space, as well as
proposed retail space consisting of a 4,500 square-foot bank with two drive through lanes,
35,703 square feet of retail space (to include Starbucks, C. Browns, and Lenscrafters pad
sites), and a 119,327 square-foot Lowe's located along the north side of West Chester Pike
(PA Route 3), west of the study area on the Edgemont County Fair property. Since this
development is partially built and occupied, it is assumed to be fully completed by the
future 2007 opening year.
• Newtown Golf and Retirement Village - 96,200 square feet of office space and 356 age-qualified
residential units proposed on the south side of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) at West Alice
Grim Boulevard. This development is not assumed to be occupied until the future 2017
build-out year.

The trip generation and trip distributions for the above projects were developed in coordination with the Newtown Township Engineer. For those developments which have completed, or are currently in the process of completing traffic impact studies, the trip generation and distribution information was obtained and utilized.   Additionally, for those developments where traffic impact studies have not been completed, the existing traffic patterns within the area were evaluated to determine an appropriate arrival/departure pattern.

Regional Traffic Growth
The latest regional growth rate released by PENNDOT for similar roadways in Delaware County is 2.1 percent per year. Traffic data collected in 1999 and 2006 along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) indicates that the traffic growth in this study area during this time was 1.7 to 2.3 percent per year. Given the local development activity assumed in the traffic projections, and listed above, the regional background traffic growth percentage used for this study is one percent per year. The combination of the numerous specific developments accounted for in this study, and the one percent per year regional traffic growth rate, results in an effective annual traffic growth rate that exceeds both PENNDOT and the historical annual traffic growth rates for this area.
The resulting future pre-development 2007 and 2017 weekday morning and weekday afternoon peak hour traffic volumes are illustrated in Figures 5 through 8.

Future Pre-Development Traffic Conditions
The future pre-development peak hour traffic volumes were subjected to detailed capacity/level-of-service analysis in accordance with standard techniques. The results of the 2007 and 2017 future capacity/level-of-service analyses are illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, respectively. Additionally, detailed capacity/level-of-service analysis worksheets are contained in Appendix G.
The results of the 2007 and 2017 future pre-development capacity analysis reveal that conditions will degrade from existing conditions, such that most study intersections will operate with delay, either LOS E or F, during the weekday commuter peak hours.

Future Post-Development Traffic Volumes
This section presents the future "post-development" traffic volumes, specifically the future traffic volumes following the completion of the specific proposed developments whose impacts are to be evaluated as part of this study.  Presented below are the details of the specific proposed developments utilized to project post-development traffic volumes for the future 2007 opening year and 2017 horizon year, ten years after the anticipated opening year.
Based on coordination with the Township Engineer, the following developments were included in the future post-development traffic volume projections:
• BPG Medical Office Building (Ellis Preserve) - 129,996 square feet of medical office space
located on the north side of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) west of Newtown Street Road
(PA Route 252). The traffic impact study completed by Traffic Planning and Design, Inc.
analyzed only the future 2016 build-out year; however, it is assumed to be built and fully
occupied by the future 2007 opening year.
• Ashford Residential Development (Rouse) - 199 single-family homes are assumed for the by-
right plan; however 575 age-qualified residential units are proposed on the site, located on
the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) and
Goshen Road. Since there has been no formal decision regarding this development, and
based on our coordination with the Township Engineer, the by-right plan was assumed for
the future traffic projections. It is assumed that 50 percent of the development will be
complete and occupied in the future 2007opening year, and full build-out and occupancy is
assumed for the 2017 design year.

• Episcopal Academy - 1100-student college preparatory school for kindergarten through 12th
grade, located along the west side of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) north of Goshen
Road. According to traffic study information provided by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc.
and information from the Episcopal Academy, the school is proposed to open in the fall of
2008. This development is assumed to be built and occupied in the future 2007 opening
year.
• Town Center Phase 1 - 335,000 square feet of retail space, 95,000 square feet of general office
space, 159 age-qualified residential units, and 44 townhomes located on the northeast corner
of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Based on
information provided by the developer of the property, it is conservatively assumed that
Phase 1 will be completed in the future 2007 opening year.
• Town Center Phase 2 - 65,000 square feet of retail space, 90,000 square feet of general office
space, and 200 hotel rooms located on the northeast corner of West Chester Pike (PA Route
3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Full build-out and occupancy is assumed for
the 2017 design year.
• Town Center West Lawn Area - 400,000 square feet of general office space located on the northeast corner of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252). Full build-out and occupancy is assumed for the 2017 design year.

The trip generation and trip distributions for the above projects were developed in coordination with the Newtown Township Engineer. For those developments which have completed, or are currently in the process of completing traffic impact studies, the trip generation and distribution information was obtained and utilized.  Additionally, for those developments where traffic impact studies have not been completed, the existing traffic patterns within the area were evaluated to determine an appropriate arrival/departure pattern. The anticipated trip generation and trip distribution worksheets for each of the proposed developments are provided in Appendix H.
The resulting future post-development 2007 and 2017 weekday morning and weekday afternoon peak hour traffic volumes are illustrated in Figures 11 through 14.

Future Post-Development Traffic Conditions
The future post-development peak hour traffic volumes were subjected to detailed capacity/level-of-service analysis in accordance with standard techniques. The results of the 2007 and 2017 future capacity/level-of-service analyses are illustrated in Figures 15 and 16, respectively. Additionally, detailed capacity/level-of-service analysis worksheets are contained in Appendix I.
The results of the 2007 and 2017 future post-development capacity analysis reveal that conditions will continue to degrade from existing and future pre-development conditions with the additional proposed development, and nearly every study intersection will operate with delay, either LOS E or F, during the weekday commuter peak hours. Due to the congestion at the West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) intersection and the surrounding roadway network, intersection and roadway improvements are needed to achieve improved or acceptable levels of service.

Future Post-Development Improvement Alternatives
The intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), as well as the surrounding area, currently experiences high traffic volumes, and increasing development pressure, which will add more traffic, despite limited roadway capacity. The Newtown Township Comprehensive Plan has identified potential existing and proposed corridors to allow traffic to circumvent the intersection of these state routes and relieve the traffic congestion. Although the current landscape is largely developed with residential and commercial uses, densely filling several quadrants of the subject intersection, there is the potential to provide new alternative routes with cooperation from property owners and future developers. Newtown Township has undertaken this traffic study to develop alternatives to relieve existing and anticipated congestion with new roadway improvements and to create opportunities for future traffic congestion relief. The goal of this study is to identify viable traffic improvement alternatives for the Newtown Square area that best manage the existing and future anticipated traffic volumes. Existing traffic deficiencies, additional future traffic due to projected development, and limited right-of-way and other constraints throughout the area must all be considered in developing an effective transportation improvement program. As a result, there is no single solution to address the existing and future transportation needs of the area, but rather, the Township must consider a system of phased improvements to be implemented over a period of time. Furthermore, because this area is not surrounded by vacant, available land, but rather it is a densely developed area with numerous constraints, it will be necessary to balance the need for traffic improvements to achieve acceptable operations with the limiting constraints that impact the ability to implement improvements as complete solutions to the traffic deficiencies.

It is clear that the intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) is central to the local area traffic issues. As a way for setting the stage to better understand the need for traffic improvements at this intersection, it is helpful to provide a real-world example of a similar intersection. The intersection of Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) and Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) in West Whiteland Township, Chester County serves as a comparable intersection of two state route, high-volume arterial roadways in the region. Based on data from PENNDOT's website, the two-way daily traffic volumes (total in both directions), as well as the year the traffic data was collected at the two intersections, are as follows:

Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) and Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30)
• Northern leg of Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) 37,754 vehicles (2005)
• Southern leg of Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) 37,916 vehicles (2004)
• Eastern leg of Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) 13,850 vehicles (2003)
• Western leg of Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) 17,618 vehicles (2003)
West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252)
• Eastern leg of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) 37,107 vehicles (2005)
• Western leg of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) 28,497 vehicles (2004)
• Southern leg of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) 18,370 vehicles (2004)
• Northern leg of Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) 28,228 vehicles (2003)

As shown above, the daily traffic volumes along Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) and West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) are similar. The significant difference, approximately 33 percent, between the daily traffic volumes on the southern leg of Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) and the western leg of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) is due to the traffic diversions from West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) onto Winding Way, which provides a bypass to the intersection. The two-way daily traffic volume along West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) west of Winding Way is 36,457 vehicles, counted in 2003. The daily traffic volumes along Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) are significantly lower than along Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), approximately 33 to 60 percent on each leg.

The intersection of Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100)/Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) provides more capacity, although it carries less traffic today than the subject intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) as shown above. Specifically, Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100) provides three through lanes in each direction (compared to two lanes in each direction along West Chester Pike) and Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30) provides two continuous through lanes in each direction. Each of the four approaches to the intersection also provides dual left-turn lanes and separate right-turn lanes (compared to single left-turn lanes at West Chester Pike/Newtown Street Road).
Based on the future traffic projections contained within this study, the future traffic volumes at the . intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3)/Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252) will continue to increase and further exceed the type of traffic volumes currently experienced at Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100)/Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30). Therefore, at the intersection of West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) and Newtown Street Road (PA Route 252), if the same lane geometry were implemented as currently exists at Pottstown Pike (PA Route 100)/Lincoln Highway (U.S. Business Route 30), the intersection would be greatly improved, but it would continue to operate with some delay since the traffic volumes are higher.