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PATCO Officials To Discuss Delays, Construction At Town Hall Meeting

By Jim Melwert

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - The DRPA is holding its second of three town-hall meetings, this one tonight in Collingswood, to discuss delays caused by construction on the PATCO line over the Ben Franklin Bridge.

The construction project on the PATCO lines will not only mean just one track will be running for about two months starting just after Memorial Day, but DRPA CEO John Hanson says it also means vehicle traffic over the bridge will be affected as they'll have to close a traffic lane as well.

"We are going to be closing one of the (traffic) lanes going from 4 to 3 on the Ben Franklin Bridge during those (rail) outages, and that's going to create traffic congestion. I am very sorry that we're going to be in this position. However, it is necessary to ensure that the PATCO line is safe."

PATCO has been closing a track on weekends, but will run just one track full-time starting after memorial day. They estimate a three percent drop in ridership due to delays during that construction.

 

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