Commuting Cressona to Philadelphia (Help!) (Reading, Lansdale: house, construction jobs, transfer)

[jcanon81]

I'm moving to PA at the end of the month, and I'll be staying with my in-laws in Cressona, PA (I know... gonna suck ) temporarily (1-2 months) until we can buy a house in Philly.

I'll be commuting to UPenn everyday (my new job), and I need to know what the best way for me to commute would be. I realize I'm going to be commuting for a few hours everyday, but I'd like to be as efficient as possible.

Should I drive the whole way? Take a train part of the way? I'm not sure what to do here.

Help!

[DreamworksSKG]

Allow at least 2-3 hours --for traffic jams etc
each way AM-PM

and go from 61 South to I-78 E to 476 S

from 476 (its a toll road btw)
you'll have to get the Schuykill Expressway --(76) to UPENN

The only other option would be to drive as far as Lansdale PA
from 78-476
and then take SEPTA
to UPENN or the subway? I dont know how you'd do it but I'm sure it could be done.

If anyone can be more helpful i'd appreciate it

[PeeAye Native]

Yikes. That will be a nerve racking commute once you get past Reading. Twenty-five years ago I knew some people who did the same commute from the Pottsville area for construction jobs in Philly. Back then there was less traffic.

Some more options:
1. Let's call Rt 61 to Rt 422 to I-76 (The Schuylkill Expressway) the base case. One or two exits off I-76 (30th St Station and South Street) will get you to within several blocks of U Penn.

I think 80% of your stress and aggravation will be from I-76, (The Schuylkill), both inbound and outbound. Listen to 1060 AM for every 10 minute traffic reports all day.

2. From Leesport, take 73 to 662 to 422. Bypass the lights south of Reading on 422. Be careful of cows and farm tractors.

3. Rt 61 to 422 to I-176 South (currently construction along there, reducing things to one lane in both directions) to I-76 East (Pa Turnpike, toll$) to Valley Forge exit. Get an EZ-Pass.

3.a) Rt 61 to 422 to ??? (I-176 south or Rt 100 south, depends on preferences) Go to Downingtown, Exton, or Thorndale and catch the Septa Regional Rail "R5" line into 30th Street Station, get free transfer via subway right to U-Penn campus. You avoid I-76 but pay for Turnpike tolls (possibly) and Septa fares (get a weekly or monthly pass). Septa does not charge for parking at those outlying stations, as I recall. Stations closer into the city it does charge to park.

3.b) There is an Amtrak option here. Go to Parkesburg (or Downingtown) and catch Amtrak into 30th Station. That's how all the Amish who own and work at the food stalls in center city commute daily. It's a viable option, but I suspect Septa is much better for your situation.

I would not recommend going East to catch I-476 south (The PA Turnike Northeast Extension). The stretch of I-78 between Rt 61 and I-476 is speed limited to 55 MPH, and patrolled heavily, and there's usually some construction. I-476 jams up and slows down a lot between Lansdale and the toll booths (Mid County). And there is massive construction currently occuring on the section of I-476 between the Mid-County toll booths and the I-76 junction. This construction will last for a year or so, and even without that bridge construction, it used to slow to a crawl on good days for the exit lane that you use to get onto I-76 into the city.

Post back and let us know how you did on this once you get into it.

[PeeAye Native]

A few more things: One of the two main exits off I-76 you can use for UPenn is closed and under construction, that is the South Street Exit, link with info.

That construction sometimes causes big delays, and occasionally not. Use the time and day traffic on Google maps to see what is currently happening.

I re-read the second post above, and going to Lansdale (Lansdale exit off I-476), and then take the Septa R5 rail line into the city is an option. But probably not your best one. I believe that is a one hour ride on the train, and it will take 25 +/- minutes to go five or six miles on Sumneytown Pike to get the Lansdale Septa station parking. This would be the route from the exit.

The big bottleneck there is a huge Merck facility, at which 8 or 10 thousand people work, and in the morning it might seem like about half of them use Sumneytown Pike.

[jcanon81]

Thanks everyone.

I think I'll try the SEPTA Downingtown station first and see how that goes. I'll post back and let you know how it worked out for me.

[nej]

Well if you can catch the train half way that would be good. Parking is horrible around University of Penn, not to mention the costly parking lots and meters. Would you be interested in purchasing a home in Philly once your settled? Let me know!

[PeeAye Native]

Update, in one of the posts I did: Be careful of deer, cows and farm tractors.