Broad/Cowpath/Godshall Intersection Enters Environmental Stage With Construction Slated for 2007 or 2008.

The preliminary layout for the realignment of the W. Broad Street and Cowpath and Godshall road intersection is complete, but that work must be reviewed by three environmental groups before moving forward.

The intersection is being reconfigured because of safety concerns. Heading east on Godshall, there is traffic coming off Cowpath at a “V” intersection below a curve. Just 50 feet down the road, there are cars waiting to enter and exit Broad Street.

The new design turns the two intersections into one. Godshall will be moved to line up across from Broad. The intersection will be widened to provide for turning lanes, and will be signalized. The part of the walking trail parallel to Godshall near the intersection will be relocated

“We are at the point where we have it right,” says Jeff L’Amoreaux of Carroll Engineering, the firm heading up the project. “We are doing our due diligence on the environmental side. We have to make sure we are not worsening the situation with what we are doing.”

Agencies to give their input on design.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission are all looking at the project because of the two waterways on both sides of the intersections, and the possibility of historical artifacts buried in the land. Impact studies and archeological digs are being conducted.

Early requirements for the design are that it handle a 100-year-storm, which will be a significant improvement over the current conditions, where flooding is a normal occurrence during rain storms.

Because the reviews by the different agencies are expected to take time, construction may begin sometime in 2007-08. The costs of the project have not been determined, but Mr. L’Amoreaux estimates the costs could be near $5.3 million.