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Mid-County Expressway

Interstate 495

LocationWoodlyn–Plymouth Meeting
Existed1956–1958

Interstate 480

LocationWoodlyn–Plymouth Meeting
Existed1958–1964
A 1960 map of central Delaware County, outlining the proposed corridors of the Mid-County Expressway
A stretch of the Mid-County Expressway near the now-closed Haverford State Hospital in the early 1970s; the stretch was not completed until the early 1990s.

Originally planned as far back as 1929, the Mid-County Expressway was later proposed by the PTC as the "Chester Extension" of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1954. After the advent of the Interstate Highway System, the project was transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Highways to be built as part of the system, designating it first as Interstate 495 (I-495) and later as Interstate 480 (I-480), as I-76 was designated as I-80S at the time. The present-day I-476 designation was assigned on February 6, 1964, when I-80S was renumbered as I-76.[1]

The road received its nickname from a 1958 location report indicating various proposed geographic configurations of an expressway through Delaware County with lines of various colors on a map. The "blue route" through the Crum Creek valley won out over other contenders, which included a more easterly "red route" and "yellow route" and a more westerly "green route".[2]

As one of the most controversial Interstate Highways in Pennsylvania, construction of I-476 began in 1967 but would take decades to build due to litigation between the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and several communities in the road's path over environmental concerns. Two sections of the road in Radnor Township and in Lower Merion Township were built in 1970 but remained closed to traffic as they did not connect to any other roads.[2] The section of I-476 between I-76 and Chemical Road opened to traffic in January 1979.[3] On December 12, 1985, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for construction of the section of the road between I-95 and MacDade Boulevard. The ceremony was attended by PennDOT secretary Thomas D. Larson and state and local officials and the Ridley High School and Chester High School marching bands were on hand to perform.[4] The section of the highway between I-95 and MacDade Boulevard opened to traffic on August 17, 1988. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, with Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel in attendance.[5] The road opened between Ridge Pike/Chemical Road and Germantown Pike/Plymouth Road on August 23, 1991. Prior to the opening of this section of I-476, traffic was forced to use two-lane Chemical Road to connect to Germantown Pike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.[3] The final section of I-476 between MacDade Boulevard and I-76 was opened on December 19, 1991.[6] Before the road opened to traffic, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held near the PA 3 interchange, with Governor Bob Casey Sr., PennDOT secretary Howard Yerusalim, and state and local officials in attendance.[6][7]

On March 15, 1985, a federal judge ruled that I-476 can be built as proposed through Delaware County, rejecting arguments from Swarthmore College, local governments, and residential associations who had urged the highway not be built because it would cause damage to parks and historic landmarks.[8] An agreement in 1985 led to many environmental compromises in the road's design, including a downsized four-lane design south of PA 3 (although a part of the span between exits 9 and 5 has a third lane on the southbound side), ramp meters, and scenic route status, prohibiting the erection of advertisement billboards along the entire freeway portion. The Radnor Gateway Enhancement Strategy was implemented to install largescale sculpture elements by artist William P. Reimann, most notably the stone griffin and cairn at exit 13.[9] While the redesigned highway was largely well-received, the constriction to four lanes has led to bottleneck conditions in the area, and many communities that originally opposed the road have now called for its widening.[10] The Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed I-476 "the most costly, most bitterly opposed highway in Pennsylvania history" due to the decades of opposition it garnered.[11]

I-476 northbound at PA 3 in Broomall

Plans to build an interchange connecting I-476 (Mid-County Expressway) to the Pennsylvania Turnpike were made; the turnpike commission approved a contract to build the interchange in March 1989.[12] That June, a losing bidder decided to challenge the turnpike commission, saying it violated female and minority contracting rules regarding the percentage of these employees that were used for the project. Under this rule, bidders were supposed to have at least 12 percent of contracts to minority-owned companies and at least four percent to female-owned companies. The losing bidder had 12.4 percent of the contracts to minority companies and 4.2 percent to female-owned companies while the winning bidder had 6.1 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. The turnpike commission decided to rebid the contract but was sued by the original contractor. This dispute delayed the construction of the interchange.[13] The contract was rebid in November 1989 after the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania permitted it.[14] The interchange between I-476 and the turnpike mainline was completed in November 1992; the ramps to the Northeast Extension opened a month later.[15][16] An official ribbon-cutting took place on December 15, 1992.[17]

In the 2000s, the road underwent a rehabilitation project, including paving, bridge repair, and ramp maintenance of the entire length of the freeway between I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The section between I-95 and PA 3 was repaved in 2005 while the section between PA 3 and I-76 was repaved in 2007.[18] The section between I-76 and I-276, which was completely reconstructed, was finished in the end of 2011.[19]

PennDOT has plans to improve I-476 to reduce traffic congestion. Smart technology will be added to detect traffic congestion. The first phase will add variable speed limits that can change based on weather and congestion, new ramp meters, and electronic signs. The left shoulders of the roadway between I-95 and PA 3 will be widened and used as a third travel lane during peak traffic periods. Construction on the smart technology is underway while construction of the third lane is expected to begin in 2026. This improvement project is planned to be completed in 2030.[20]

  1. ^ "Was I-76 Numbered to Honor Philadelphia for Independence Day, 1776?". Ask the Rambler. Federal Highway Administration. January 18, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "History of the Blue Route". I-476 Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Ellis, John (August 23, 1991). "Blue Route goes one more notch". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 4-B.
  4. ^ Gordon, Suzanne (December 13, 1985). "Blue Route again under way". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-B, 2-B.
  5. ^ Enda, Jodi (August 18, 1988). "Open at last - A section of the Blue Route gets the green light". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 3-M.
  6. ^ a b McCullough, Marie (December 19, 1991). "Get ready for a route awakening". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 3-B.
  7. ^ McCullough, Marie (December 20, 1991). "Hundreds turn Blue in the cold". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-B, 6-B.
  8. ^ Nussbaum, Paul; Gordon, Suzanne (March 16, 1985). "U.S. judge clears way for Blue Route". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-A, 10-A.
  9. ^ Fleming, Ronald Lee (October 8–11, 1992). "Making Connections: an integrated approach to urban design along the highway". Proceedings of the International Symposium on Design Review. (Routledge Revivals): University of Cincinnati.
  10. ^ "Asphalt: the Magazine of the Asphalt Institute, Summer 1997" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  11. ^ "FHWA By Day - December 19". Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  12. ^ "Phila. Firm To Oversee Montco Turnpike Project Briefly". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. March 8, 1989. p. B02.
  13. ^ Turcol, Thomas (October 26, 1989). "Lawsuit Delays Blue Route - Turnpike Link". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B01.
  14. ^ Mayer, Cynthia (June 24, 1990). "Blue Route Delay Is Expected Completion Is Now Seen By Late 1991". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B01.
  15. ^ Ferry, Joseph P. (November 9, 1992). "Turnpike Opens New Interchange At Norristown". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. p. B4A.
  16. ^ "Blue Route Opens Turnpike Linkup". Press of Atlantic City. December 16, 1992. p. A2.
  17. ^ Ferry, Joseph P. (December 16, 1992). "Opening Of Blue Route Link Fits Missing Piece In Puzzle". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. p. B01.
  18. ^ "The New I-476 Improvement Project". I-476 Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "The I-476/Blue Route Improvement Project". I-476 Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  20. ^ MacDonald, Tom (August 18, 2024). "PennDOT unveils plan to widen the Blue Route to ease I-476 congestion". Philadelphia, PA: WHYY. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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