Bells Mill Road Called "Pain in the Butt"

In the discussion of PennDOT's proposed Walnut Lane Bridge closure in 2014, one neighborhood road was brought up a number of times as a possible alternate route to get from the Northwest to the rest of the city.

That road? Bells Mill Lane in Chestnut Hill.

Some residents were concerned about Bells Mill undertaking increased traffic in the wake of a closed Walnut Lane Bridge, asking Assistant Chief Traffic Engineer for the Philadelphia Streets Department Charles Denny if something could be done to make the intersection at Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Lane "less of a pain in the butt."

Not likely, Denny said.

"The light at Bells Mill Road and Germantown Avenue is on a 90-second timer, the same as every other light on the same kind of road," he said. "That intersection is already operating very close to capacity, so we're not considering changing the light or advertising it as a man way to get around the construction."

Check out this story for more information on the potentially forthcoming Walnut Lane Bridge closing.