Controversial Swarthmore construction begins

The project's opponents, however, have not given up.

Even as construction crews begin work on the roundabout this week, residents opposed to it are planning to file an appeal in court.

Jacki Miller, a Swarthmore resident leading the effort, said she worried that the roundabout would cause "inevitable queuing during rush hour."

The intersection at Chester Road near the borough's SEPTA station is already busy, and drivers use Route 320 as an alternate route when I-476 is congested.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which owns the right-of-way along Route 320, approved the roundabout plans. Swarthmore College will pay for construction.

The borough council also voted to approve the development plans earlier this year.

Borough Council President Ralph Jacobs said the roundabout would improve the safety of a dangerous intersection.

"My view is that there is overwhelming support for the roundabout in the community," Jacobs said. "I think the number of people who are opposed to the roundabout is really a very, very small number of people."

Miller said she fears that the roundabout will slow traffic too much, forcing cars to wait along Chester Road for their turn to enter it, or increasing congestion on other roads in Swarthmore.

"For those of us that have lived with the stoppages on 320 and what happens to the traffic when it sheds through the borough itself, it's not good enough," Miller said.

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Controversial Swarthmore construction begins