The Steering Committee for Walkable Chadds Ford is continuing its march toward developing a master plan that could have a significant impact on the village area of the township.
During the group’s Jan. 13 meeting held at the Chadds Ford municipal building, Peter Simone, a landscape architect with Simone Collins and consultant for the project, reviewed with members a meeting he and a few others had with representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Of all the ideas brought up for improving the intersection of Route 1 and Creek Road — as well as Route 1’s intersection with Ring Road at the Battlefield Park and with Fairville Road at Chadds Ford Elementary School — Simone said people at PennDOT are saying “no” to putting in roundabouts.
According to Simone, roundabouts, or traffic circles, are considered too expensive and expansive. They’d cost too much and take up too much space, he said.
During a meeting last month, Simone said installing a pedestrian overpass was also out of the question.
However, some things that remain on the table include having pedestrian-activated crossing signals and crosswalks at those previously mentioned intersections, he said. Pedestrians could press a button to signal a light change so they could cross the street.
As discussed in earlier meetings, the idea is to make it safer for pedestrians to cross Route 1, which could be a boon for businesses in the village.
Simone said PennDOT was comfortable considering several traffic calming ideas for Route 1 through the village.
Those ideas include reducing the width of traffic lanes by one or two feet and installing clearly marked shoulders — marked with either paint or made with different materials — and possibly installing sidewalks.
Sidewalks are also being considered for Creek Road from the Chadds Ford Historical Society property down to Hank’s Place at Route 1.
Included as part of that sidewalk concept, Simone also said boardwalks might be installed behind the springhouse at the Historical Society and behind Hank’s.
Other traffic calming ideas include adding trees, banners and artwork along Route 1 in the village to give it a tighter feel that would get motorists to slow down and obey the 45 mph speed limit. Chicanes are also being considered. Chicanes, such as those along Route 52 in Centreville, Del., cause slight lane shifts or curves that force drivers to slow down. They’re referred to as horizontal deflections.
Simone said PennDOT has not yet committed to funding any of the ideas, but the committee is continuing to look for possible sources of funding.
No final decisions have been made on what to ultimately propose. Meetings of the committee so far have been to explore possibilities. Simone said the group hopes to have a master plan to present to the public in May.
The committee will hold two more meetings, Feb. 3 and March 2, before having another public meeting on March 7 when a draft plan will be presented.
That draft will be reviewed and then there will be two more committee meetings before the master plan is presented on May 20.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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