Berks County’s newly approved four‑year transportation plan includes the initial construction phase for a $430 million project to rebuild and widen the West Shore Bypass and reconfigure the Route 422 Reading‑area access ramps.
PennDOT estimates it will open bids in July 2028 for the first phase of the massive project, which has been advancing through engineering and design for more than a decade.
About $3.6 million is budgeted in each of 2027 and 2028 for utility relocation ahead of construction, which is expected to begin in late 2028 or early 2029, according to the 2027–30 plan approved by the Reading Area Transportation Study Coordinating Committee at its May meeting.
The 2027–30 Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, includes 89 highway and bridge projects valued at a total of $241 million, plus $79 million for the transit system.
The panel — composed of elected municipal and county officials and representatives of the Berks County Planning Commission — unanimously approved the plan May 21.
The plan will be incorporated into Pennsylvania’s transportation plan, said Alan Piper, county transportation planner. The state plan, once approved, must be submitted to the federal government before October to be eligible for funding in fiscal year 2027.
Piper said the assumption is that the new five‑year federal authorization legislation, which has yet to be approved, will provide funding at or above the levels in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, though there is no guarantee.
Projects on the TIP range from simple box‑culvert replacements on two‑lane roads to major undertakings such as reconstructing and widening Route 222 in northern Berks and significant intersection upgrades, including roundabouts.
Unlike the previous four‑year plan, which covered preliminary engineering and design for larger projects such as the reconstruction and widening of Routes 422 and 222, the new plan includes construction.
“There’s been a lot of stuff that seems like it’s just all coming together,” Piper said.
The panel also approved the long‑range transportation plan, which estimates road and transit funding needs beyond the four‑year window. Together, the short‑ and long‑range plans provide continuity as major projects move from design to construction.
Rebuilding the West Shore Bypass, the limited-access stretch of Route 422 from Route 222 in Wyomissing to Perkiomen Avenue in Exeter Township, is by far the largest and most complex project on the list.
In addition to utility relocation, roughly $40 million is budgeted for construction in each of 2028, 2029 and 2030, though the project will extend beyond the current TIP. The long‑range plan includes $200 million during the 2031–34 TIP and nearly $100 million beyond 2034.
The project involves widening Route 422 to six lanes from the Buttonwood Street overpass through the Lancaster Avenue interchange, reconfiguring the Penn Avenue and Lancaster Avenue interchanges and reconstructing the Bingaman Street Bridge and associated bicycle and pedestrian connections.
Other major projects moving to construction in the four‑year plan include:
• PennDOT plans to open bids this fall for the next phase of Route 222 widening and intersection upgrades. A total of $56 million is budgeted for construction through 2031 in Maidencreek and Richmond townships. The road will be widened to four lanes with a median barrier from Schaeffer Road to the Kutztown Bypass. Roundabouts are planned at Pleasant Hill Road and Richmond Road.
PennDOT expects to award a construction contract in October 2027 for a long-planned realignment of the intersection of Penn Avenue (Route 422) and Shillington Road (Route 724). in Sinking Spring. The project also includes reconfiguring the intersection of Penn and Mull avenues. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
• About $4.6 million is set aside for a long‑planned project to realign the 45‑degree intersection of Penn Avenue (Route 422) and Shillington Road (Route 724) in Sinking Spring to reduce congestion. PennDOT expects to award a bid in October 2027, with construction continuing through 2030. The project includes reconfiguring the intersection of Penn and Mull avenues.
• PennDOT anticipates awarding a construction contract in mid‑2027 for an estimated $11.1 million project to convert three signalized intersections on State Hill Road in Wyomissing — Spring Street, Granite Point Drive and the Route 222 interchange — into roundabouts. Most construction activity in this first phase is expected in 2030 and beyond.
• About $1.5 million is budgeted through 2030 for preliminary engineering, final design and right‑of‑way acquisition for three intersections along a 1.2‑mile section of the Route 183 corridor in the Bernville area. The long‑range plan anticipates additional projects to address traffic flow issues, including the hourglass section between the Route 222 interchange and West Leesport Road in Bern Township.
• PennDOT plans to open bids in October for an estimated $4.64 million project to upgrade intersections on Pricetown Road (Route 12) from Antietam Road to Mount Laurel Road in Alsace Township. The project includes utility relocation, shoulder widening, a center-turn lane at Woodside Avenue, and a new traffic signal at Antietam Road. Work is expected to take most of 2027.
• A larger Route 12 intersection project in Alsace Township is expected to go to bid in 2027. The three‑year, $13.8 million project includes removing an embankment at a curve to improve sight distance, installing a hybrid roundabout at Pricetown and Hillview roads and Elizabeth Avenue, realigning Skyline Drive, and adding a westbound left‑turn lane at Skyline.
• PennDOT plans to award a construction contract in early 2028 for an intersection improvement project at Route 662 (Memorial Highway) and Oley Turnpike Road in Oley Township. The estimated $4.7 million project includes a roundabout at a location with frequent crashes.
• About $4.2 million is programmed over the next four years to upgrade eight signalized intersections along Route 422 (Ben Franklin Highway) between Monocacy Creek Road and River Bridge Road in Amity Township. Signal improvements at five additional intersections between Pineland Road in Exeter Township and Monocacy Creek Road are included in the long‑range plan.
• PennDOT anticipates awarding a contract in fall 2027 for a long‑awaited project to construct an auxiliary lane along southbound Route 222 where the ramps from Route 422 westbound and Route 222 southbound merge near the Paper Mill Road exit in Wyomissing. The three‑year, $12.9 million project aims to alleviate the bottleneck that causes traffic backups as far as the Broadcasting Road on‑ramp during peak hours.
• Engineers will develop plans for major upgrades to Hamburg’s town square. More than $300,000 is budgeted over the next two years for design and right‑of‑way acquisition for improvements at Fourth and State streets. PennDOT plans to add turn lanes, modify signals and add pavement markings. Construction phases for the estimated $2.6 million project are scheduled for 2029–30.
• The next phase of Route 61 upgrades is expected to begin in late 2027. The first two phases — addressing the section between the Schuylkill River/State Street crossings in Hamburg and Interstate 78 in Tilden Township — will wrap up in 2027. The next phase includes installing median barriers from Zions Church Road in Perry Township to Fourth Street in Hamburg and reconfiguring the Fourth Street intersection. About $21 million is earmarked for construction over the next several years.
Bridge projects
Numerous bridge projects are included in the 2027–30 TIP. Highlights include:
• PennDOT plans to open bids in August for replacement of the Bellevue Avenue bridge over the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad in Muhlenberg Township. The estimated $8.2 million project is expected to be completed in 2030.
An estimated $8.2 million PennDOT project to replace the bridge 102-year-old bridge that carries Bellevue Avenue over the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad in Muhlenberg Township could begin late this year. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
• Bids will be opened this summer for an estimated $2.3 million project to build a new bridge on Smoketown Road over Little Sacony Creek in Rockland Township. The bridge was closed in May 2021 due to severe storm damage. The project includes restoring and realigning the creek and reinforcing the northeast streambank with riprap.
• PennDOT anticipates awarding a contract early next year for an estimated $7.8 million multiyear project to replace the Route 419 bridge over Tulpehocken Creek in Marion and Heidelberg townships. The work includes widening to add shoulders.
• Final design for a $4.2 million project to replace the Old Route 22 bridge over a Maiden Creek tributary in Greenwich Township will wrap up next year, with construction planned for 2028–30.
• PennDOT expects to open bids in 2028 for a three‑year, $2.93 million project to replace the Route 183 crossing of Little Northkill Creek and its tributary in Upper Tulpehocken Township.
• About $1.1 million is budgeted for final design and right‑of‑way acquisition for an estimated $12.3 million replacement of the Centre Avenue (Route 61) bridge over Norfolk Southern Railroad in Reading. Construction is anticipated in 2030.
• Construction of the multiyear, $3.7 million rehabilitation or replacement of the North Fifth Street bridge over Route 12 in Muhlenberg Township could begin as early as 2029.
• PennDOT plans to replace the Funk Road bridge over a tributary to Ironstone Creek in Colebrookdale Township. The two‑year, $1.8 million project is expected to begin next year.
• A construction contract is expected to be awarded in December to replace the Rehrersburg Road (Route 419) bridge over a tributary to Mill Creek in Tulpehocken Township. Work would begin next year and finish in 2028 at an estimated cost of $2.3 million.
• The Route 501 (Lancaster Avenue) bridge over Swatara Creek in Bethel Township is targeted for replacement in 2027–28 at an estimated $1.2 million.
• Rehabilitation or replacement of the Old Route 22 bridge over Northkill Creek in Upper Tulpehocken Township is slated to begin next year in a multiyear, $2.78 million project.
• The county‑owned, 65‑year‑old Weidner’s Mill bridge carrying Levengood Road over Manatawny Creek in Amity Township is scheduled for rehabilitation or replacement in 2027–28 at a cost of more than $800,000.
• The Mill Race Creek crossing of Charming Forge Road in Marion Township is slated for rehabilitation or replacement in 2027 at an estimated cost of $1.3 million.
• About $2.3 million is available to replace the Long Lane Road bridge over Mill Creek in Maxatawny Township beginning in fall 2028.
• About $1.6 million is available to replace the Meckville Road bridge over Meck Creek in Bethel Township in 2028–29.
Other investments
RATS set aside about $300,000 per year for future projects that encourage ride‑sharing, car and van pooling, and bicycle and pedestrian travel. The goal is to reduce congestion and air pollution. These projects will be administered by Commuter Services of Pennsylvania.
To support public transportation, RATS programmed about $1.3 million over the next two years — and about $8.5 million in the long‑range plan — for BARTA to update its 12‑ and 13‑year‑old fixed‑route electric hybrid buses.
Other funding includes about $100,000 annually to continue supporting an operator in PennDOT District 5’s traffic operations center. The operator monitors cameras, message boards and radio systems along Interstates 78 and 176, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Routes 422 and 222 in Berks.