One Hundred years ago, making roads safe in Delco, an unknown science

Route 320 aka Chester Rd. at Park Ave. looking south toward Chester. The view has not changed much except the R.R. Crossing is now gone.

 NOTE: It is hard to imagine today but 100 plus years ago the state of Pennsylvania along with all others were going crazy trying to build good safe roads. Cars were selling quickly and drivers wanted  safe, smooth roads etc.  Roads were made out of cement, stone etc. Chester Pike was made out of wood for awhile and was known as the "plank road". Not only designing roads, which was a totally unknown science but creating water inlets etc. Also making roads safe by putting in under passes.

         

 CHESTER TIMES

 December 3, 1925 

GRADE CROSSING AT SWARTHMORE 

Council Members to Consider Request of Business Men

          At the last meeting before the newly-elected council members take their places, the present borough council of Swarthmore will meet tonight to take up various current problems, and clean up odds and ends of their year’s work.

          Most important will be the consideration of the request by the Swarthmore Business and Civic Association that they appoint a committee to work with the B and C committee of the question of the elimination of the Chester Road grade crossing.  Sentiment which has been current in the borough for the past several years has been crystallized with the great increase in traffic along Chester Road and which is held up in long lines of several squares as each and every passenger train or freight goes by Swarthmore.  Not only is through traffic to Philadelphia and Chester sadly inconvenienced, but local traffic in and around the business center of Swarthmore materially hampered.

          A petition is now in the hands of the B and C committee signed by a large number of people advocating elimination of the grade crossing.  There are at present two possible plans being considered and other sought.

          The first guns in the definite campaign to remove the crossing were fired two weeks ago when a committee was appointed by the B and C Associations composed of H. M. Buckman, Ellwood B. Chapman, R. Chester Spencer, Frank N. Smith, F. M. Scheibley, Louis C. Emmons, and N. O. Pittenger.  This committee met with Edward B. Temple, chief engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Paul Freedley, chairman of the highway committee of Swarthmore Borough, in an effort to arrive at the most acceptable plan, with the purpose of presenting the matter to the Public Service Commission for action.

          The appointment of a committee tonight would be followed by an immediate joint meeting with the B and C committee, the two groups making a combined effort to get the support of the P. R. R., the County and the State Highway Department enlisted in the appeal to the Public Service Commission.

          Entire unanimity among all in Swarthmore exists as to the wisdom of removing the crossing.  More engineering study will be necessary before a solution satisfactory to all is found.