In conjunction with Darby Borough, SEPTA, and CSX, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be advancing this intersection-railroad grade crossing improvement project at Main Street and 6th Street. Improvements will include installation of traffic signals, pavement and sidewalk upgrades, improvements to the railroad crossing warning devices, and signal improvements at Main Street and 5th Street. Sidewalk improvements include curb bump outs to make pedestrian crossings of Main Street easier and ADA ramps.
The existing intersection of Main Street and 6th Street exhibits several concerns for pedestrians and motorists, such as high crash history, poor pavement conditions and drainage issues. The project will focus on mitigating these problems.
Proposed Improvements
The four corners of the intersection of Main Street and 6th Street will have proposed curb bump-outs containing ADA ramps, traffic signal poles, and pedestrian gates for railroad crossing. The proposed bump-outs will provide pedestrian refuge areas, a greater area to accommodate the necessary train and traffic signal equipment and serve as a traffic calming measure, while also decreasing the distance that pedestrians need to cross the intersection. The pedestrian gates will provide warning and delineation during train crossings and the fencing will help prevent pedestrians from walking around activated gates and into the path of trains. ADA compliant ramps, along with delineated cross walks, will serve to improve the existing safety concern for pedestrians crossing the intersection.
The intersection of Main Street and 6th Street will be signalized and preemption will be included to clear any traffic along Main Street before a CSX train approaches the intersection. The intersection traffic signals will also be coordinated with the traffic signals at the intersection at Main Street and 5th Street. The Main Street and 5th Street intersection will have upgraded signal equipment and retiming as needed. In addition, all railroad signals and warning devices will be updated to current standards.
Traffic Control During Construction
The project site will be subject to lane closures during construction. Sidewalk closures are anticipated, however pedestrian access through the project area will be maintained via detours to the opposite side of the roadway. During a portion of the project, Main Street will be closed between 3rd Street and 7th Street with traffic detoured onto MacDade Boulevard, Church Lane, and Cobbs Creek Parkway. Full closures will only occur during the weekends to maintain the operations of the SEPTA trolley during the weekdays.
Construction
Planned construction includes; removal of the sidewalk, curb, and pavement at the intersection of 6th Street, installation of drainage structures and pipes along the SEPTA track, construction of new curb and sidewalk bump-outs, full depth pavement reconstruction, and a mill/overlay of pavement adjacent to the SEPTA tracks. Additional work which may occur during the weekend trolley outage includes; traffic signal construction at 5th Street and 6th Street, and ADA ramp construction at 5th Street. The CSX gate/signal construction is included with this project; however, the schedule and duration of this work is dependent on availability of CSX forces and this construction may occur outside of the trolley outage period.
Preliminary engineering has been completed for the project. The Department will be completing the final design and constructing the project.