Pennsbury Township Board of Supervisors April 20 meeting provided news on a major traffic headache. Kathleen Howley, Pennsbury Township Manager, said, “PennDOT recently advised Pennsbury Township that major construction work on the relocated Route 52 and Route 926 intersection has been pushed back to September.”

Longwood Gardens website provides news updates on this important highway project. “It’s simple to alter a road on a map: just draw a new line. Moving an actual road, however, is infinitely more complicated. The relocation of PA Route 52, which began in the summer of 2010, has taken years of planning, numerous environmental studies, and ongoing discussions among PennDOT, Longwood, municipal authorities, contractors, and nearby residents. The project is expected to take 18 months to two years and will cost $15.4 million.”

“PennDOT initiated this project over twenty years ago,” explains Paul B. Redman, Director of Longwood Gardens. “There was awareness that the existing Route 52 had design flaws and was not safe. They also wanted to create better alignment with the part of 52 that goes from Route 1 into Delaware.”

Longwood partnered with PennDOT, providing funding for the highway design, as well as the design plan for the meadow, wetland, and forest remediation.

The project does not add acreage to Longwood, but will unite two pieces of property that are currently disconnected. “The meadow will essentially double in size,” says Redman. “There will be wetlands with a boardwalk, and we will restore the natural flow of the Pocopson Creek.”

Unfortunately, though inevitably, some trees will have to come down. “We take this very seriously,” says Redman. “The flora and fauna were thoroughly studied to make sure no rare, endangered, or threatened species are disturbed. We do not just meet all of the state and federal regulations for forest remediation, we exceed them. When Route 52 is done, we will have planted almost twenty-three acres of new trees.”

[Editors Note: Chadds Ford Business Association’s June 2 Meeting at Pennsbury Township Building will host apresentation by PennDOT on the Route 52 Project – See Chaddsfordlive.com Calendar]

Pennsbury Historic Hope House Update

Pennsbury Township resident Margo Leach has volunteered to serve as the manager of a team of Pennsbury residents who are studying the future of the historic Hope House. The house is adjacent to the Pennsbury Township building on the site of the Pennsbury Village Associates (PVA) pending Route 1 residential development. Ms. Leach is a registered architect who has designed many residential properties in the Chadds Ford community. Presently, the Hope house committee is evaluating the economic feasibility of relocating the historic structure to adjacent township-owned land. While the costs of relocation would be borne by Pennsbury Village Associates, Pennsbury Township residents are sensitive to the value of the house to the township, incremental renovation and maintenance costs. Another aspect of the committee’s volunteer work is the “chain of title” property records research which may be completed with assistance from local Boy Scouts. At the April 20 Pennsbury Board of Supervisors meeting, Ms. Leach said she anticipates her committee will make a full feasibility report to Pennsbury Board of Supervisors in the near future.

The future of the Hope House, built in 1705, remains uncertain. Other options include PVA developers demolishing the house or relocating it to land also owned by PVA across Hickory Hill Rd. from the pending residential development. If PVA relocates the Hope House to their adjacent property, potentially 8,000 square feet will be added to the house for adaptive commercial reuse.