The County of Berks announced Friday that significant progress has been made in restoring and upgrading highway lighting along Route 422 on the West Shore Bypass. The improvements are the result of a coordinated effort with PennDOT, Pagoda Electric, and Met-Ed.
Over the past several months, crews have been working overnight to address long-standing issues with outages and damaged infrastructure along the busy roadway. Officials said the work has already improved visibility for drivers, particularly at the Lancaster Avenue Interchange, which has been one of the corridor’s most problematic locations.
In the past four months, the project has included reinstalling and energizing 12 light poles, replacing 27 damaged or missing luminaries, repairing wiring in multiple pull boxes, relocating a pole at the Penn Street on-ramp to improve safety, and installing nearly 1,000 feet of conduit and wiring to re-energize 50 lights. Crews have also replaced several burned-out lights and control boxes.
“Teamwork has been key to these improvements,” said Bradley Reinert, Berks County Fleet Operations Manager. “Although the corridor faces regular setbacks from weather and traffic incidents, we’re seeing major progress, and drivers can already see the difference—especially at key interchanges.”
The county said the next steps will include replacing damaged conduit and wiring near the Lancaster Avenue Interchange, troubleshooting 31 poles that remain without power, and developing a plan to restore power to poles west of the Penn Avenue Interchange. Crews will also focus on Route 12, where additional repairs will include replacing poles and foundations, installing new conduit and wiring to re-energize 11 poles, and addressing accident-damaged lights near the Route 422 interchange.
Officials said the County of Berks will continue to work with PennDOT, Pagoda Electric, and Met-Ed to complete the upgrades, with the goal of improving roadway visibility and enhancing safety for all travelers along the 422 and Route 12 corridors.
