$650M bypass makeover ‘good for the future’ of Berks

The following is an excerpt from an article posted on www.wfmz.com. It was written by Katiera Winfrey.

READING, Pa. – A massive construction project expected to keep Berks County moving for the next 50 to 100 years needs quite a bit of money to get going. Roughly $650 million is needed to give the West Shore Bypass a makeover.

Federal, state and local leaders met Tuesday to review PennDOT’s plans to make traffic flow smoother on a five-mile stretch of Route 422 between Interstate 176 and the Warren Street Bypass.

Leaders said it will be a massive project, one Berks County needs to keep up with the growing population and help boost the economy.

“In the grand scheme of things, it sounds like a lot of money, but when you look at muti-billion dollar infrastructure projects, it’s not a lot,” said Berks County Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt.

Local, state and federal leaders met in the Berks County commissioners board room to review the plans, which include reconstructing interchanges at North Wyomissing Boulevard, Penn Street/Penn Avenue, Lancaster Avenue, and I-176 as well as 20 bridges, retaining walls, access to trails and more.

Read the full article on WFMZ’s Website >