US202 Section 700

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US202 Section 700

Section 701 Construction

Length: 1.8 miles
Location: Route 63 (Welsh Road) to Route 463 (Horsham Road)

Montgomery Township, Montgomery County

Capacity:

Four lanes, two in each direction

40 mph Speed Limit

Left turn lanes at all intersections

Features:

Five-foot wide paved bicycle lanes each direction
New connector road between Costco Drive and General Hancock Boulevard
Twelve-foot wide paved Shared Use Trail

Trail Head access points at Route 309, Knapp Road
Pedestrian signals with countdown timers at intersections

2,900-feet of earthen berms
Landscaped shoulders and median
10 storm-water management facilities
Decorative finishes on barriers, culverts, walls and bridge surfaces
New traffic signal control equipment at intersections to collect traffic data and optimize signal timing to accommodate real time traffic demands

Parkway Access

Northbound on-ramp from Route 309 north
Northbound/southbound connector ramp from Route 309 south
New signalized Parkway intersections at

Route 63 (Welsh Road)
Knapp Road
Connector Ramp
Costco Drive
Route 463 (Horsham Road)

Structures

Single span bridge over Route 309
Bridge over creek north of Knapp Road
Two concrete arch culverts
1,300 feet of retaining wall to minimize environmental impacts

Construction Information

Bid Price: $31,725,653
Contractor: J.D. Eckman Inc., Atglen, PA
Start Work: November 2008
Completion: January 2011

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701 Construction Updates
January/February 2010

December 2009

November 2009

September 2009

701 Construction Progress Photos

Jan2010 | Dec2009 | Nov2009 | Oct2009 | July2009 | May2009 | Mar2009 | All

Section 701 - January 2010

Photo 1: An equipment operator excavates for the mainline Parkway between Route 309 and Horsham Road.

Photo 2: Stormwater Inlets are set for the Parkway at Costco Drive.

Photo 3: Stormwater drainage pipes north of Route 309 are installed and backfilled.

December 2009

Photo 1: Storm water control pipes are installed for the Parkway just south of Horsham Road.

Photo 2: Workers shoot mulch to dress up recently planted trees along the Parkway just north of Welsh Road.

Photo 3: A short section of the Parkway and the shared use path have been paved between Welsh and Knapp roads.

Photo 4: An equipment operator compresses the backfill material at a stream crossing between Route 309 and Knapp Road.

Photo 5: Workers build formwork at a drainage structure near Horsham Road.

Photo 6: At work on the bridge over Route 309, carpenters build formwork between the recently set beams.

Photo 7: Workers pour concrete to fill in between the beam ends on the Parkway bridge over Route 309.

Photo 8: Formwork is built for a retaining wall between Route 309 and Knapp Road.

November 2009

Photo 1: The first of eight beams begins to be moved into place over Route 309 during a recent nighttime operation.

Photo 2: Concrete deck beams are slid into place over Route 309 along a temporary "skid" beam.

Photo 3: Beam placement is completed for the Route 309 overpass. Photo 4: Rendering of completed Route 309 overpass.

Photo 5: A worker compacts fill for a retaining wall at a stream crossing at Section 701.

Photo 6: An inspector looks on as a crew pours a new concrete sidewalk along westbound Knapp Road.

Photo 7: Steel deck pans are placed atop the beams at the Route 309 overpass.

701 - Oct 2009

Equipment operators construct an earthen berm in Section 701.

Workers grade the shoulder along Knapp Road.

The abutment, or end wall, for the bridge over Route 309 is under construction.

Workers discuss details of construction of a retaining wall in Section 701.

A utility conduit is placed on Section 701.

Workers install components of a retaining wall in Section 701.

Crews backfill drainage pipes in Section 701.

Workers construct a retaining wall to support a roadway embankment in Section 701.

Curb forms are set in place along Knapp Road, which is being widened at its approaches to the new Parkway.

During a two-week closure of Route 463 (Horsham Road) in October, crews succeeded in widening and rebuilding a section of roadway near Upper State Road.

701 - July 2009
Photo Locations Map:

The numbers on this map correspond to the numbered photos below. Click on the map to open a full .PDF of the map.

Photo 1: Looking south towards the start of the Parkway at Welsh Road, initial grading of the roadway has been completed. Pictured above, side slopes along the roadway have been prepared and seeded.

Photo 2: Looking south towards the start of the Parkway at Welsh Road, the alignment of the roadway has been laid out and graded. This portion of the Parkway will consist of four lanes: two in each direction.

Photo 3: Taken to the west of the De La Salle neighborhood, looking south, the road has been initially graded and starts to take shape.

Photo 4: A berm is constructed between the De La Salle neighborhood and the Parkway. Berms will be constructed throughout the project, serving as noise and visual barriers between residential areas and the roadway. After construction, the berms will be landscaped with various types of trees and shrubs.

Photo 5: Taken from the berm located west of the De La Salle neighborhood, looking north, this photo shows the initial layout of the trail (left of berm) and roadway (far left). The paved 12-foot wide trail will run adjacent to the entire length of the Parkway and will provide a non-motorized transportation and recreational facility for walkers and bicyclists.

Photo 6: A culvert crossing was installed behind the Target Shopping Center, near the intersection of the Parkway and Knapp Road. Pictured above, the completed culvert is shown. The temporary pipes were removed and the waterway has returned to its natural path. The cobblestone finish will be stained to give the appearance of natural stone.

Photo 7: In June, construction began on the Parkway overpass where the Parkway and Route 309 intersect. Construction activities began by excavation and concrete placement for the abutment and wingwall footings (first photo). Footings are the foundation for the bridge structure. The abutment is the end support for a bridge superstructure while the wing walls are adjacent to the abutment and act as retaining walls.
Steel reinforcing bars, commonly known as rebar, are used to reinforce the concrete and result in stronger structures. The rebar is tied together creating a grid and the forms are constructed around the rebar in sections (second photo). Concrete is then poured into the forms and after the concrete has cured, the form is removed and moved to the next section, where the process is repeated.
Like the other structures in Section 701, the overpass will also have a cobblestone finish (third photo). When construction is complete, the cobblestone finish will be stained to give the appearance of natural stone. A rendering shows what the Parkway overpass over Route 309 will look like when completed.

Photo 8: Clearing activities continue to occur on the north side of Route 309 to Horsham Road. LA Fitness can be seen in the distance.

Photo 9: Clearing and grading activities have started for Drive A. Drive A currently runs behind Costco and connects with General Hancock Boulevard. When the Parkway is complete, a landscaped median will be in place separating the northbound and southbound lanes. Turns for Drive A and General Hancock Boulevard to the Parkway will be right in, right out only. There will be no through movements from Drive A to General Hancock Boulevard.

701 - May 2009
Photo Locations Map:

The numbers on this map correspond to the numbered photos below. Click on the map to open a full .PDF of the map.

Photo 1: A culvert crossing was installed behind the Target Shopping center, near the intersection of the Parkway and Knapp Road. The culvert will allow for the Parkway to pass over a naturally occurring waterway. Temporary pipes have been put in place to divert the waterway as the area was prepared and the culvert installed. Pictured above (top photo), the culvert is installed in prefabricated sections. Both ends of the culvert feature a cobblestone finish (bottom photo). The cobblestones will be stained to give the appearance of natural stone. The use of finishes are not only aesthetically pleasing to the community, they are also cost effective and require little to no maintenance.

Photo 2: The intersection of the Parkway and Knapp Road will be an at-grade intersection. Due to a large hill on the north side of Knapp Road, a large amount of earth will need to be removed to create the level roadway. The top photo of the intersection was taken in April 2009; a haul road is present, but no earth has been removed. In May 2009 (middle photo), a large amount of earth had been removed, leveling the Parkway with Knapp Road. The rendering shows what the intersection will look like when construction is completed.

Photo 3: As part of the Parkway project, improvements are also being made along Knapp Road. Pictured above, storm water inlets are installed along either side of Knapp Road. Throughout construction, Knapp Road may experience delays, lane restrictions or road closures. Road closure information for the entire project is posted on the home page of the website (www.us202-700.com).

Photo 4: Taken behind the Giant shopping center, this photo is looking South towards Knapp Road. The De La Salle neighborhood can be seen in the distance.

Photo 5: Taken behind the Giant Shopping Center, this photo is looking North towards Route 309. In the last two months, this area has been cleared, earth has been removed and stormwater basins have been created.

Photo 6: An overpass will be constructed where the Parkway and Route 309 intersect. Utility poles (pictured above, left) will be removed in the near future as preparation for the bridge construction begins. Utility poles on either side of the bridge have been prepared (pictured above, right) to run utilities underground, under the Parkway overpass.

Photo 7: Activity has recently moved to the north side of Route 309. Clearing has begun and fencing is being erected. In the future, construction activities should continue towards Costco Drive and General Hancock Boulevard.

701 - March 2009
Photo Locations Map:

The numbers on this map correspond to the numbered photos below. Click on the map to open a full .PDF of the map.

Photo 1: Section 701, the first section of the Parkway, starts at Welsh Road. The area has been cleared and the installation of stormwater basins and drainage pipes has begun. This picture is looking south at Welsh Road.

Photo 2: Section 701, the first section of the Parkway, starts at Welsh Road. The area has been cleared and the installation of stormwater basins and drainage pipes has begun. This picture is looking south at Welsh Road.

Photo 3: In the distance two end walls are being installed. Pipes running under the Parkway will connect to these end walls and maintain flow for two naturally occurring waterways from the east side of the parkway to the west side.

Photo 4: The Parkway will run behind the Target and Giant Shopping Centers, seen in the distance. PECO will be relocating utility poles in the near future

Photo 5: A stormwater basin has been constructed near Knapp Road. This basin will collect runoff from the Parkway. The end wall and outfall pipe have also been installed and will provide drainage from the basin to an unnamed tributary of the Neshaminy Creek.

Photo 6: The first intersection of the Parkway is at Knapp Road. Taken from Knapp Road this photo is looking south; the De La Salle neighborhood can be seen in the distance.

Photo 7: The section of Parkway between Knapp Road and Route 309 has been cleared and some construction has started. Taken behind Giant Shopping Center, this photo is looking north towards Route 309; the Courtyard Marriott Hotel can be seen in the distance.

Photo 8: A temporary stream crossing behind Giant Shopping Center has been installed. Different size stones are used as a filter for the water as it flows out of the pipe and back into the stream to prevent erosion and sedimentation. This temporary stream crossing will be used while an open-bottom culvert is installed. Once the culvert is installed, the temporary stream crossing will be removed, and the stream will flow naturally through the culvert.

Photo 9: Clearing is still occurring near Route 309. Taken behind the Giant Shopping Center, this photo is looking north; LA Fitness can be seen in the distance.

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