$3 million Springfield Road project begins; borough, chief discuss traffic control and peak-hour impacts

Borough staff told council that a $3 million construction project on Springfield Road is starting this week and described planned traffic-control hours and potential mitigation measures to reduce peak-hour backups.

Staff said test work would begin the next day with single-lane closures and that, because of traffic volumes, work is planned between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. early in the project. Chief of police raised concerns about queueing for northbound traffic and the potential for vehicles to back up to the pike during morning peak periods if queues form at the single-lane control points.

The chief said he will meet with contractors to determine whether short-term northbound closures on Springfield Road might be warranted to reroute traffic and avoid long queues: "My 1 position was just shut off northbound traffic on Springfield Road in the short term," he said, adding he would monitor how traffic flows once test work begins and discuss solutions with contractors.

Staff also encouraged contractors to keep the work zone narrow and tight to preserve traffic lanes where possible; they said contractors plan to keep pipe staging within a limited footprint to reduce impacts near the curve and to avoid pushing queues through intersections.

Council discussed the need to warn residents and agreed staff would send a letter to impacted homeowners along the work corridor after the chief meets with contractors. Staff said lane closures and occasional residential impacts are expected as the project progresses and that they will coordinate updates and resident meetings later in the schedule.

Ending

Council asked staff and the chief to monitor traffic during initial work and to alert residents in the corridor; no formal changes to the contractor schedule were announced during the caucus.