NEW GARDEN — Change is en route.
Albeit within a few years.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) held a public forum on Thursday, via Microsoft Teams, to showcase updated plans for the intersection of Old Baltimore Pike and Newark Road in New Garden. The vortex is a hub for both the mushroom industry, transporting cargo, and locals who call Toughkenamon home.
According to Design Project Manager Steve Giampaolo, who led the meeting, PennDOT plans to begin construction at the intersection in 2028. It will take years to complete. PennDOT estimates that construction cost shall exceed $11 million.
Back in 2022, PennDOT estimated the project would begin in 2025.
“This is the worst intersection in Chester County. We would love to work with PennDOT and get it in the construction lineup,” said Stephen Allaband in 2022. “And to do so as soon as possible.” Allaband is a New Garden Township supervisor.
For the Latino-Hispanic community in Toughkenamon, with many residents working nearby in the nation’s largest hub for mushroom production, a hot spot is Deanna’s Market in Toughkenamon, New Garden, at the corner of Old Baltimore Pike and Newark Road.
Visitors can enjoy street taco fare, and there are daily transit stops from interstate bus services. An unincorporated village in New Garden, Toughkenamon is home to the region’s largest population of migrant agricultural workers, many from Central and South America, who work in the Mushroom Capital of the World. A bulk of these generational family-owned and operated mushroom farms are located nearby on Penn Green Road.
Southern Chester County’s mushroom farms, production houses and packaging facilities are densely in New Garden and Kennett townships between the boroughs of Kennett Square and Avondale. That’s the heart of the industry, and part of a 50-square-mile area that produces 60% of all mushrooms grown in North America.
The mushroom industry’s economic impact to Pennsylvania is $1.1 billion. America’s Mushroom Capital employs at least 9,300 people in Chester County, however many workers are undocumented migrants so the exact number of laborers is unknown, as previously reported.
Vibrant yet dangerous hub
Deanna’s Market is a hub for connection for this community, where people gather, trade and connect and purchase not only authentic Mexican cuisine but also essential supplies including cash cards to send money internationally to family members.
Still, the junction where Deanna’s Market is located has also been called extremely dangerous by local officials for years. There are no operational pedestrian crosswalks and there isn’t enough space for tractor trailers to make 90 degree turns without pulling first a bit into opposing lanes. The intersection is located approximately 2.2 miles from the Kennett Square borough limits.
“I am encouraged that, after years of planning and community discussions, a full improvement plan for this intersection is finally moving forward,” said Juan Tafolla, who won a seat to join the Kennett Square Borough Council on Nov. 4. His family owns Deanna’s Market. When he is sworn-in come January, Tafolla will become the youngest person to ever serve on Borough Council.
“These upgrades will bring essential pedestrian sidewalks, improving pedestrian safety, improved traffic control, and additional lanes that the area has needed for far too long,” Tafolla said on Saturday. “This project will make the roadway safer and more efficient for everyone. It will hopefully also help reduce the number of trucks driving through the center of Kennett Square.”
Tafolla lauded the dedication of those involved to move this project forward, after years of planning and delays, thanks to state sRep. Christina Sappey, D-158th of East Marlborough, PennDOT, local New Garden officials and residents. He called the project one of progress.
During the public meeting on Thursday, many members of the public asked if the project could begin sooner due to ongoing safety concerns. Another asked if the intersection could stay as it is, so as not to disturb the tight-knit community. Along both Newark and Old Baltimore, the roadways are lined with commercial, independent small businesses and family dwellings.
“The project will require both permanent right-of-way and temporary construction easements from the properties within the project limits. The amount and size of the required right-of-way needed from the property owners will be discussed with the property owners when the right-of-way process starts,” said Brad Rudolph, deputy communications director for PennDOT for District 6, which spans southeastern Pennsylvania.
Three stages
The project will span three phases.
Stage one, with an anticipated start of 2028, will focus on utility relocation work, Rudolph said. This will take one year. Also, there will be roadway and drainage construction during this first year.
The relocated utilities will not be placed underground to beautify the area. “Converting above ground electric lines to an underground facility is very costly as the size of the facility would be substantial and impact existing facilities,” Rudolph said.
During Stage 2 and Stage 3, construction work on the roadway, including updates to the stormwater drainage system, will be conducted. “The duration of these stages are anticipated to take an additional two years,” Rudolph said. “The anticipated completion date for construction on this project is 2031.”
And while tthe expected construction price tag is already more than $11,000,000, the cost for other key portions of the project haven’t been estimated yet.
Regarding the $11,000,000-plus million construction price tag, this estimate includes contingency and inflation factors, Rudolph stated on Friday. “Until the project goes out to bid to contractors, the estimated construction cost will be re-evaluated each year considering cost drivers such as material costs and unforeseen design issues,” he noted.
He said presently the final design — eligible — utility upgrades and relocations, and construction are funded with 100% state funds. The Right-of-Way acquisition phase is funded with 100% federal funds. The federal funds are from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Rudolph said the purpose and need of the project are to improve the intersection alignment and geometric deficiencies, additional lanes to address recurring traffic backups and to implement pedestrian facilities along Newark Road and Baltimore Pike as well as at the intersection.
PennDOT declined to share an estimate on how many jobs this project may create.
During the project, there will be years of detours. Rudolph said major state roads will be utilized.
In the future, PennDOT’s Right-of-Way acquisition team will start contacting property owners.
The project started at the municipal level in 2007, Rudolph said.
New Garden Township did not respond to a request for comment.
More than 70 people attended the public meeting on Thursday to hear PennDOT’s plan and vision for the intersection.
“We appreciate everyone’s interest in our transportation system,” Rudolph said. “We thank all of our partners that work with us to make our roads safer.”
Earlier this year, nearby in Avondale, residents called on PennDOT to address unabated freight truck traffic on state-owned Pennsylvania Avenue, also known as Route 41, amid “disgraceful” safety concerns, surface deterioration, and alleged property damages. A public meeting was held with state and local officials on April 15 with 100 people in attendance.
The average daily traffic on Route 41 through Avondale Borough is 18,776 vehicles per day, as previously reported. PennDOT did not disclose a truck count. According to residents, a significant portion of those vehicles are freight tractor trailers.
In Toughkenamon, Rudolph said the Newark and Old Baltimore intersection experiences a combined traffic of approximately 15,000 vehicles per day. He said 14,800 are cars and 200 are large trucks.
Still, watching traffic pass by on Saturday morning, for every dozen cars that passed by, there were at least two to three unmarked farm-exempt cargo trucks and at least two semi trucks passing through the intersection, traveling in all directions.
“Large trucks represent approximately 1.3% of the daily traffic through the intersection,” Rudolph said.
According to a 2024 crash report by PennDOT, large trucks are designed for heavy use such as a wrecker, box truck, cement mixer, car hauler, or larger commercial cargo.
Back in 2022, a traffic survey in New Garden reported that 7,700 vehicles passed through Newark Road daily, and 9% were ‘big’ trucks. And Old Baltimore Pike, with a posted speed limit of 35 mph, drew 11,500 vehicles per day, 13% of which were cited to be tractor-trailers, as previously reported. The posted speed limit of Newark Road is 24 mph in Toughkenmon.
New vision
According to PennDOT’s dedicated online site that explains the scope of the project, the goal is to address the current alignment issues of Newark Road and enhance intersection operation and safety for all users. Several geometric issues at the Baltimore Pike and Newark Road intersection contribute to congestion and safety concerns. About 30 feet offset the northbound and southbound sections of Newark Road at the intersection, creating safety risks and operational problems.
“This project will construct sidewalks in the project area,” Rudolph said. “If there are opportunities to improve pedestrian amenities in the interim, we would be happy to work with the municipality to facilitate the same.”
North of the intersection, up Newark Road, is New Garden Flying Field. Around a mile away is the U.S. Route 1, also known as the Kennett-Oxford Bypass. PennDOT noted that the Eastern Penn Railroad line is approximately 700 feet south, heading toward Route 41, also known as Newport Gap Pike.
“The message to all the neighbors — including the mushroom industry — would be to contact the project team,” Rudolph said, adding that everyone can share their concerns or suggestions to improve upon PennDOT’s design.
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