My Lincoln Drive Dilemma

Two years ago the Chestnut Hill community was foreign to me. I wouldn't have been able to give you directions from my school, Penn Charter, to Germantown Avenue. Today, I can easily navigate my way around the area as I frequently visit friends in Chestnut Hill, have dinner on Germantown Avenue, and intern at the Chestnut Hill Local. Now that the Lincoln Drive southbound is closing, however, my commute back over the river to get home will be much more difficult, and my visits to the Chestnut Hill community will not be nearly as frequent.

With $20.2 million dollars from the federal government, contractor Buckley & Co. will replace four bridges in the area over the next 16 months. Two bridges over Kelly Drive (the project is already underway), the Lincoln Drive bridge over Ridge Avenue and worst of all, the bridge that connects Lincoln Drive to southbound City Avenue. Drivers going south on Lincoln Drive will be forced down the Ridge Avenue exit and have three choices as they approach the new traffic light. A left turn to City Avenue and 76, straight to Kelly Drive, or right down Ridge Avenue.

Even before the project began, Lincoln Drive was constantly jammed southbound during rush hour. Now, as I cruise to Chestnut Hill on Lincoln Drive northbound at 9 a.m. the southbound traffic is laughable. On Monday morning there were several drivers turning around to go northbound because the backup was so bad. This shouldn't surprise anyone who knows the roads around here considering 20,000 motorists use southbound Lincoln Drive daily. Even PennDOT says a commuter going southbound on Lincoln Drive should tack on an extra 20 minutes to their commute. That 20 minutes might feel like a lifetime in standstill traffic waiting for the new Ridge Avenue traffic light to turn green.

With such bad backups, how will I get back over the river? It sounds more like a problem for William Penn upon his arrival to Pennsylvania than it does for a driver in the 21st Century. To cross the river, I can assure you I will not be swimming, and during any rush hour I will be even less likely to take the Drive only to be forced off at the Ridge Avenue exit of Lincoln Drive--the exit was a mess even before this closure. I would also expect that the back roads won't be much better, as many Lincoln Drive users who'll try School House Lane or Route 1 might clog up those routes too.

Whether I find a good way to get back across the river or not, this will cause much hassle for anyone looking to come into Chestnut Hill to shop or eat. With this main vessel shut down, I'll begin limiting the number of visits to my new community. As loyal as I am to Chestnut Hill, many less-loyal visitors could probably think about eliminating their trip to Chestnut Hill shops and restaurants completely.