Officials in Berks County, Pennsylvania, recently approved a four-year transportation plan that funds the first construction phase of the long-planned West Shore Bypass project. The move clears the way for the reconstruction project that has been in engineering and design phases for more than a decade.
The full project, which includes rebuilding and widening the U.S. 422 corridor and reconfiguring its Reading-area interchanges, is projected to cost about $430 million.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) estimates that it will open the bidding process in July 2028 for the first phase of construction. That work is expected to begin in late 2028 or early 2029, according to officials.
The first phase is estimated to cost over $300 million and would focus on rebuilding the highway with three lanes in each direction, spanning from the Buttonwood Street overpass to the Interstate 176 (I-176) interchange.
The total project covers about five miles of the West Shore Bypass, stretching through Reading, West Reading and Wyomissing boroughs and Cumru and Exeter townships. The work, aside from the lane widening, also reconstructs four interchanges at N. Wyomissing Boulevard, Penn Street/Penn Avenue, Lancaster Avenue and I-176.
The Lancaster Avenue interchange has been redesigned to replace its left-side ramps, transitioning to a more standard configuration.
Every bridge along the U.S. 422 corridor within the project limits is also slated for replacement. This includes the Bingaman Street bridge, carrying the highway over the Schuylkill River, along with the Buttonwood Street spans that cross over U.S. 422.
The West Shore Bypass has been around for decades. This particular stretch of U.S. 422 was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is part of the National Highway System, serving as a key connection out of Reading toward Pottstown, King of Prussia and Philadelphia.
The current project is a product of PennDOT’s 2014 U.S. 422 West Shore Bypass Reconstruction Study, which looked at the corridor and identified needs related to safety, congestion and mobility. It is an essential part of Reading’s larger Transportation Improvement Program.
That program is a $464 million, four-year effort covering highway, bridge and transit projects across Berks County. The program’s major source of funding is the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is set to expire Sept. 30, 2026, unless reauthorized or replaced.
The plan funds the first of two construction phases planned for the corridor, extending the effort well into the next decade. Before the heavy lifting begins, however, the plan budgets about $3.6 million in both 2027 and 2028 for utility relocation.
Photo by John Guccione from Pexels
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