State Plans Major Changes to Route 1, Street Road

As part of an estimated $248 million project to widen Route 1, two on-ramps eventually will be moved to the south side of Street Road with two new sets of lights installed, according to PennDOT officials.

While PennDOT says it does not foresee many problems for property owners, that is not the case for one who now has to look for a new township site for a planned hotel.

“It's shocking news,” said Harry Patel. “They want to take over the property to widen Route 1.”

Patel owns the and this summer received multiple variances from the township zoning board to build an 80-room hotel on a 2-acre parcel south of Street Road near Old Lincoln Highway.

Patel said he has spent close to $400,000 on legal, engineering and planning costs along with a franchise fee to Hilton.

“I'm in the process of hiring an attorney,” he said. “The problem is we tied up so much money. We want to know some kind of time line (on the widening project). If they don't have one, we should be able to proceed with our project.”

PennDOT spokesmen Gene Blaum and Tim Stevenson said the tentative plan is to begin the project in early 2015 and finish in about two years. The time line is tentative, they said, because there are funding challenges.

But PennDOT has begun its right-of-way acquisition process, which includes Patel's land along with that of the Sunrise Inn motel.

“We haven't condemned any properties. We're only approaching a couple property owners right now,” said Stevenson, who explained that the state makes financial offers after the property is appraised.

He added that PennDOT has not finalized its right-of-way plan but knows it needs Patel's land, the Sunrise Inn property, a portion of Roosevelt Memorial Park cemetery and the vacant lot just west of , where a hotel once stood.

“I don't foresee a lot of impact (on property owners),” Stevenson said, while adding that no grave sites would be involved.

A manager at the Sunrise Inn said he had no comment. A spokesman for Roosevelt Memorial Park could not immediately be reached for comment.

The project has been on the books for about a decade and would widen a 6-mile stretch of Route 1 between Old Lincoln Highway and Route 213, according to the two PennDOT officials. It would also replace structurally deficient bridges in that area. They include the Route 1 bridges over Street Road, the Turnpike and Rockhill Drive.

“That does not mean they are unsafe,” said Blaum. “It means that at least one component is not up to our standard.”

The PennDOT officials said both Route 1 ramps from Street Road will be moved away from the Turnpike, from the north to the south side of Street Road, with two new sets of lights installed at each ramp.

Patel believes more lights on Street Road will worsen traffic problems.

“We are looking at how it will operate,” said Stevenson. “But we are also looking at the problems on Route 1. Route 1 is kind of our focus.”

Patel may not have been the only one surprised with the recent information coming from the state. Township Administrator Bill Cmorey said, “To my knowledge the last plan that was shown to the township by PennDot was back in 2005. At that time, the plan shown did not meet with great acceptance. I'm not sure if it is the same plan you are referring to today so we cannot comment.”

Patel says his agreement with Hilton requires him to build within 5 miles of .

“I'm in the process of searching for other land,” he said. “We have to build it in Bensalem.”