Turnpike Eliminates Residential Property Takes for Expansion Project

(Harrisburg) – Property owners who thought their homes would be taken to complete the expansion of the 10.5-mile section of the Northeastern Extension from the Mid-County Interchange to the Lansdale Interchange will be relieved to learn that their homes are no longer needed. The announcement was made today by State Senators John Rafferty (44th District) and Constance Williams (17th District), State Representatives Kate Harper (61st District), Michael Gerber (148th District), and Jay Moyer (70th District) along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

“Each of the individual property owners will receive confirmation of this important news by certified letter,” noted Turnpike Project Manager Jerry Rollman. “We understand that property owners can sometimes feel as if their life is in limbo when their property has been impacted in part or total by transportation improvement projects. We are still working on the reevaluation of the overall project, but this is information we know the property owners have been waiting on.”

There are still numerous residential properties subject to partial acquisitions based on the preliminary engineering design plans revealed in March and April of this year. Accordingly, the Commission recently announced its approval of the use of retaining walls to reduce partial property impacts throughout the entire 10.5-mile project area. This revised design involves the substitution of retaining walls for earthen slopes, where viable, to reduce property impacts and help preserve the existing vegetation that acts as a buffer between the Turnpike and adjacent properties throughout the corridor. Graphic depictions of the retaining wall applications are available for public review in each of the township offices located within the project corridor; namely: Plymouth, Whitpain, Upper Gwynedd, Worcester and Towamencin Townships. They are also posted on the project web site at www.paturnpike.com.

“We are also working with the Townships and commercial property owners to acquire land for the construction of some of the permanent stormwater basins,” he added. “The commercial locations are more expensive to pursue, and pose more challenges to meeting environmental requirements. However, we are working closely with PA DEP, the Montgomery County Conservation District, state legislators and township officials to address these issues on a case by case basis, and we are making progress.”

Additional details on the results of the project reevaluation process will be released as they become available, and are also posted on a regular basis on the project web site. The Turnpike Commission expects to have its proposed final engineering design plans ready for public review by mid to late summer, 2008.