KING OF PRUSSIA – Construction will start Sunday night, June 1, on a $17.4 million project to widen and improve 2.5 miles of Rt. 100 (Pottstown Pike) in Uwchlan and West Whiteland Townships, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) said.

PennDOT will expand Rt. 100 from two lanes to three lanes in each direction by widening northbound Rt. 100 from Shoen Road to just south of Rt. 113 (Uwchlan Avenue) and widening southbound Rt. 100 from just south of Rt. 113 (Uwchlan Avenue) to Swedesford Road, a PennDOT news release said.

“The addition of a third lane in each direction will enhance travel and reduce congestion for the thousands of motorists who use Rt. 100 each day,” PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said. “Widening this stretch of Rt. 100 will create a uniformed six-lane roadway from the Rt. 30 Interchange to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Interchange.”

In addition to widening Rt. 100, PennDOT’s contractor will improve intersections by removing five jug handles and replacing them with turn lanes, installing new traffic signals at intersections, replacing the metal median divider with a concrete median barrier, and modifying the storm water collection system and adding storm water management facilities, the release said.

Crews also will build a sound wall along southbound Rt. 100 between Rutgers Drive and Worthington Drive; build a retaining wall on Gordon Drive; install a sidewalk along northbound Rt. 100 from Ship Road to Sharp Lane, which will connect with the Uwchlan Trail; install a sidewalk along southbound Rt. 100 between Rutgers Drive and Worthington Lane; and build a truck weigh station along the current northbound Ship Road jug handle, the release said.

The first few weeks of construction will focus on relocating the median barrier and performing other roadwork to shift southbound and northbound traffic to the west in order to widen alongside the northbound lanes. This work will restrict Rt. 100 to one lane in each direction Sunday through Thursday nights from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning. Daytime lane closures may occur weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the relocation of utility lines, the release said.

Two travel lanes will remain open in each direction on Route 100 weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.This stretch of Rt. 100 carries between 33,000 to 38,000 vehicles a day, according to the release.

The $17,386,617 contract, scheduled for completion in February 2016, is financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds. The project is a partnership between PennDOT and Uwchlan Township. PennDOT is financing and managing construction while Uwchlan Township financed and performed the preliminary engineering and final design phases of the project, the release said.

Drivers are advised to allow additional time for travel as slowdowns may occur during construction.Motorists can check conditions on any major area roadway by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 680 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available by calling 5-1-1.