PennDOT, Municipalities Could Save Route 1 Service Roads

PennDOT has developed an alternative layout that would allow existing service roads to be maintained as local roads after a planned $150 million overhaul of Route 1.

The adjustment to the project, which is known as Section RC3, comes after Langhorne Manor Borough and Langhorne Borough residents raised opposition to the initial design, which called for the removal of most service roads.

State Sen. Frank Farry, a Republican representing the Sixth Senate District, and State Rep. Joe Hogan, a Republican representing the 142nd Legislative District, sent a letter to PennDOT on May 18 asking if safety upgrades could be accomplished while still preserving the access roads.

PennDOT responded on May 29 and confirmed that a new analysis of public feedback from the project’s Environmental Assessment showed the roads could generally be kept if direct connections to Route 1 are eliminated.

“Some residents have raised questions about how this project could impact their neighborhoods and local access,” Farry and Hogan said in a joint statement. “While PennDOT ultimately makes the decisions regarding the design and scope of this project, we will continue working with the community to ensure they receive accurate information and that their concerns are heard throughout the process.”

Din Abazi, the district executive for PennDOT District 6, explained in the letter to the lawmakers that the designers originally proposed the select removal of the service roads to address prior concerns regarding speeding and recurring maintenance costs.

After the new analysis, Abazi said the roads can remain with minor modifications to the proposed design, a move he noted is consistent with the project’s overall purpose and needs.

The roads and the adjacent traffic separator islands are currently owned and maintained by the individual municipalities through local tax dollars.

Brad Rudolph, the deputy communications director for PennDOT District 6, confirmed that the state has already begun presenting the alternative plan to local officials.

“We have developed an alternative layout that retains the service roads as local roads with no direct access to U.S. 1,” Rudolph said. “We presented the alternative to Middletown Township yesterday and will present it to Langhorne Manor Borough when we meet with them.”

PennDOT officials met with Middletown Township representatives last week, and a follow-up meeting with Langhorne Manor Borough officials is expected, Rudolph told LevittownNow.com.

The news of the access roads being able to remain comes amid a years-long dispute over the 2.7-mile highway project, which stretches from the bridge over the CSX and SEPTA West Trenton Line to just north of the Corn Crib Lane overpass.

The project is intended to replace aging infrastructure and upgrade safety along the corridor. The first and second phases in Bensalem and Middletown townships have largely wrapped up.

A local opposition group, the No Cloverleaf Coalition, has challenged the state’s RC3 plans in recent years.

The group has argued that cutting off the service roads would push heavy traffic onto residential side streets without sidewalks, endangering pedestrians and cyclists, and threatening historic structures like the 1803 Bethlehem African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The coalition also criticized PennDOT for planning a partial cloverleaf interchange at Pine Street (Route 413) and ignoring a $60 million to $70 million citizen-backed alternative layout.

Paul Schneider, a member of the No Cloverleaf Coalition and a Langhorne Borough councilmember, called PennDOT’s willingness to reconsider the design a “tremendous step forward,” but cautioned that the local battle is not over.

“Naturally, we’re pleased that PennDOT has expressed a willingness to reconsider the current RC3 design in light of the considerable pushback from residents,” Schneider said. “We thank Senator Farry and Representative Hogan for delivering this news and look forward to working with PennDOT and our elected officials on revisions that would benefit the community at large.”

Schneider also credited Neshaminy School Board member Kristin Egan, who is running against Hogan as a Democrat, for speaking out against the original design, but reminded residents that the state has not made a final decision.

“It’s important to note that there still is no firm commitment to save the service roads or to eliminate the planned cloverleaf so residents need to continue to engage with local, state, and national leaders,” Schneider said.

If the Section RC3 project clears its final reviews and receives remaining approvals, construction is projected to begin in the fall of 2029.