Bristol Twp, PennDOT, Turnpike Engineers Meet Discuss Congestion & Future Work Schedule

Bristol Township announced Friday that it had met with PennDOT Turnpike Engineers to address recent issues surrounding the construction project on U.S. Route 13 and Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Township officials said  PennDOT and Turnpike officials are aware of the congestion due to the construction and have already been proactive  implementing corrective actions.

“The issues are mainly from signal timing and single through lanes” said township officials “The corrective actions they are working for implementation are adjusting the timing of the signal, adding a temporary video detection system, installing GPS clocks for Green Lane and Turnpike signal coordination, redesigning for additional though lane for SB Route 13 and adding green arrow for right turn from South Bound Route 13.

In early December installation of a temporary traffic light in the overnight at the Green Lane and Rt 13 intersection caused a loud “when is this all going to end” groan from motorists in the area.

PennDOT announced prior to Thanksgiving new motorist patterns with a new temporary traffic light would be implemented but when the new “temporary” traffic was put into play, area motorists seemed ill prepared for the change.

“Its a total s**t show,” one local said via e-,ail, “it took my husband 1 hour to home from Neshaminy, when its usually only a  20 minute ride. No one knew, they were going to shut down a lane and install a temporary light there. And to do that in the middle of the week?”

Temporary Street Light on Rt 13 has caused backups say locals.
Image Credit: Jeff Bohen, LBS.

Work to remove the bridge deck has begun and is almost completed. Removal of temporary signal C posts, and the re-do lanes adding a through South Bound lane and adjust timing for turn lanes has commenced. 

Motorist levels of frustration can also be understood in light of the U.S. Rt 13 reconstruction project being completed not too many years  ago.  Similarly the township made it a specific goal to have its roads worked on, in 2013/14, when its road repaving projects were launched in Croydon. Motorists though have little investment in terms of the “who” of a given project though and just want to navigate area roadways without seeing “work ahead” signs that seemed to have become permanent residents in the area.

Rob J. who is a home contractor and does   a bulk of his work in the Levittown area  said “it just seems never ending. Whether its a township project, or one involving multiple state entities and people like myself are just sick of it.

“Yes its for a good cause and reason, but where do I go to get all the hours back I’ve lost sitting in traffic since this project began?” he asked rhetorically.

Signage Warning Motorists are about U.S 13 Road Work ahead.