PennDOT Defends Arcadia U-Turn Option

On September 9, 2021, Francis Hanney, Senior Manager - Traffic Services Division/ADA Coordinator at PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT) - hosted an online meeting with residents to discuss the Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) application and associated access, egress and roadway improvements for a proposed development known as Arcadia at Newtown Holdings (aka Arcadia Green). This development - sixty $700,000-plus Homes - will be located at the intersection of Newtown Bypass and Buck Road. For background, read “Newtown Township Supervisors Approved a Settlement Agreement with Arcadia That Ends a 6-Year Battle That the Town Was Warned It Would Lose.”

Participating in this meeting were officials from Newtown Township (Me, Kyle Davis, and Dennis Fisher), State Representative Perry Warren, a representative from State Senator Steve Santarsiero’s office, Jason Duckworth (developer), and representatives from the Newtown Crossing Community Association as well as the Eagle Ridge, Crown Point, and Liberty Square Community Associations, which are located near the proposed Arcadia development.

At least 4 options with variations to solve the problem of access have been proposed by the developer and by residents in the neighboring communities. For an explanation of the options, read "Controversy Regarding Proposed Arcadia Newtown U-Turn Option."

In the following 21-minute audio recording snippet from that meeting, Mr. Hanney explains why he is opposed to all the options other than the U-turn option at Mill Pond Road. He also discusses criteria that must be met before the limited access restrictions to and from the Bypass may be lifted.

Mr. Hanney also said that under the U-turn option trucks will continue to be prohibited from making U-turns. Thus, any truck traffic through Mill Pond Road will be the same as it is today. Of course, there may be additional trucks servicing the new development.

Lifting Limited Bypass Access Restrictions

Mr. Hanney explained that there was a "series of eight different criteria that had to be met" before the limited access restrictions of the Newtown Bypass could be lifted. He explained that Arcadia's plan for access to the Bypass (“Option 1”), which is essentially an "individual driveway to serve an individual development, does not meet a single one of those criteria."

One of those criteria is that access must allow connection to a major thoroughfare that provides a "community-wide benefit." The intersection with Swamp Road demonstrates that benefit (see image below).

I asked about the Bypass entrance to and exit from a parking lot at the Caldwell Banker building at the intersection of Lindenhurst Road and the Bypass (see image below). This looks very much like an "individual driveway that serves an individual development." Mr. Hanney noted that this provides a connection between Lindenhurst Road and Newtown Bypass via Brandywine Blvd.

It appears to me that "Brandywine Blvd" hardly qualifies as a connection to a major thoroughfare that provides a "community-wide benefit." I think it provides a benefit to Caldwell Banker and other businesses that use the parking lot. I don't see drivers using this torturous path through a parking lot to get to the Bypass! But as Mr. Hanney himself said at one point, there may have been "back room" deals made long ago.

Other Alternative Options Proposed

Mr. Hanney also rejected “Option 1A” proposed by Dennis Schoener, Eagle Ridge Community Association Board VP (see figure below). “By moving the 413 Bypass Option-1 further North,” said Mr. Schoener, “there is adequate distance for safely changing lanes.”

Mr. Schoener asked PennDOT to consider these further advantages of Option 1A:

• Two means of access if one is down due to an accident or road repair.
• Allowing entry from the bypass will reduce traffic for Arcadia that would need to turn right at Buck Rd south to then reach the Service Rd entrance.
• Minimum impact on Arcadia's jogging trail.

Meanwhile, Peter Ancona, Newtown Crossing Community Association Board of Directors VP, believes that a U-turn from southbound to to northbound Buck Road at Mill Pond Rd & Diamond Dr, which PennDOT prefers, “is the least preferable to the existing communities that already use this intersection and it does not address concerns about traffic safety and traffic flow.” He suggested "Option 2C."

Mr. Ancona wants PennDOT to “explore the possibility of whether revised signaling at Buck Rd and the By-Pass that would incorporate the entrance to Arcadia Green and provides protected ingress and egress in all travel directions can be studied further.” This was alternative #2 proposed in the developer’s application (read "Controversy Regarding Proposed Arcadia Newtown U-Turn Option.") and was rejected with minimal explanation by PennDOT, according to Mr. Ancona. “With appropriate signal programming and incorporation of the 2nd northbound right turn lane at Buck Rd and the by-pass included in Alternative #4 (Millpond U-turn) this alternative ["Option 2C"] would address all ingress/egress needs for passenger car, commercial/service vehicle traffic and address the motorist safety concerns as well.”

Both Options 1A and 2C were rejected by Mr. Hanney. When asked if further consideration of Alternative 2C was a "Hell No" from PennDOT’s perspective, Mr. Hanney said "No, they would never say that", but restated why it is less desirable to them and that the Millpond connection is what really should be considered if people are really concerned about the overall safety of the community.

Next Steps

Mr. Ancona, in a personal email to me, said he would like to see “more involvement and support from the Township and the other elected officials that participated to advocate for Alternative 2C, as I think Alternative 1, even with the revised design that [Mr. Schoener] suggested has too high a hurdle to be approved.”

Mr. Hanney offered a more detailed summary of PennDOT's rationale for the above position in a September 16, 2021, letter sent to the Township and participants. The letter responds to the community's concerns and clarifies why certain alternatives are not acceptable and provides additional information about each alternative and reasons for why it is or is not acceptable.

Mr. Hanney hopes this response is understandable by lay-people so that they might better understand and accept PennDOT's position. He also implored the community associations to work with Mr. Duckworth to reach a solution to the access issues, including re-looking at the Millpond connection (which would cut through Eagle Ridge property and which is strictly prohibited by the settlement agreement) and what could be done by Arcadia to mitigate the communities' “various concerns.”