Long-awaited Route 202 Parkway opens in Pennsylvania

MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa. - December 3, 2012 (WPVI) -- Monday was a big day on the transportation front. The Route 202 Parkway opened for business.

Motorists can now drive the 8.4 mile-long Parkway between Route 611 in Doylestown, Bucks County to Route 63 in Montgomery Township.

The project cost $200 million.

The new segment of Route 202 opened with a ribbon cutting after 35 years of resistance from small towns in the area like Buckingham and Solebury.

The new 8-and-a-half mile stretch is expected to relieve traffic congestion on major thoroughfares nearby and on local roads as well.

It opens up a direct travel route between Doylestown and Montgomeryville.

"It will reduce congestion and enhance traffic flow in the next decade," said Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley. "It will host over 30,000 vehicles a day."

"It relieves pressure off of the other parallel and adjoining highways," said Lester Toaso of PennDOT, including 611, and Butler Pike.

Residents along the route, which features a long stretch of 2-lane parkway complete with bike paths instead of a more classic 4-lane expressway, say it is about time this state-funded parkway opened.

"It will just get me over to Montgomeryville much faster," said Amy Skuze of Doylestown

"I just think it will get a lot of the traffic off the country roads. They were never built for that," said resident Ken Bachman.

But there is still controversy. Some local movers and shakers saying it's not enough new road. Others are calling it a rip-off.

"We're spending over $300 million on an unnecessary road. We don't need more roads, we need less cars," said environmentalist Larry Schaeffer.

"I'm still fighting to have it widened because I monitor the construction and the need for roads in Bucks County," said businessman George Niblock.

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pennsylvania, automobiles, travel, montgomery county, bucks county, local/state, vernon odom

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