Getting AroundWednesday, November 4
The Turnpike now has six lanes near the Downingtown Interchange
The West Chester Morning News team
If you drive the Turnpike through Chester County, there's more room now. After more than three years of construction, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has opened three lanes in each direction along four miles near the Downingtown Interchange, between mileposts 312 and 316. The project runs through Upper Uwchlan, Uwchlan, West Pikeland, and Charlestown townships.
The Turnpike now has six lanes where it had four
| Before | Measure | Now |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Travel lanes in all | 6 |
| 2 | Lanes each direction | 3 |
Sources: VISTA.Today, MyChesCo
- New layout: six 12-foot lanes, 12-foot shoulders, 26-foot median
- Earth moved: about 1.1 million cubic yards
- Concrete recycled: 37,000 cubic yards
- Stormwater basins built: 28
- Mainline bridges rebuilt: three
One wrinkle: the commission characterized the reconstruction as completed, but MyChesCo reports its project website still lists the work as under construction, with completion expected in 2027. The work is the latest piece of the Turnpike's Total Reconstruction Initiative, which began in 1999.
$214 milliontoll-funded cost of the Downingtown-area rebuild
The commission paid entirely with toll revenue. Its detailed project materials list a $215.5 million construction contract.
Sources: VISTA.Today, MyChesCo
Sources: VISTA.Today, MyChesCo