Norristown was a thriving economic center for many decades. Transportation played a key role as several railroad lines converged in the town, and the only road between Philadelphia and Reading went straight through Main Street in Norristown. When the region's highway network was built, Norristown was left without a convenient interchange. The lack of easy highway access, along with shifting retail trends, contributed to an economic decline.
The Lafayette Street Corridor Project was conceived as a way to revitalize downtown Norristown by creating easy highway access. Montgomery County secured funding in 1999 to hire McMahon Associates, Inc. and Simone Collins Incorporated Landscape Architecture to conduct a feasibility study. With this study completed, the county formally proceeded with the project by hiring McCormick Taylor in 2001 to begin preliminary engineering and environmental clearance documentation.
While the roadway was being designed, Montgomery County hired Edwards and Kelcey in 2006 to study the amount of land available for development along the riverfront and how to improve public access. The resulting Lafayette Street Land Use Access Study can be used by Norristown and Plymouth Township to understand the opportunities and constraints along the riverfront and to empower these communities to guide future development.
In 2007, McCormick Taylor, Inc. will finish all preliminary engineering and environmental clearance work. Montgomery County will then hire a consultant to begin the final design phase. While full completion of the project will take several years, construction funds have already been secured from the federal government to reconstruct the existing portion of Lafayette Street when the design work is completed.
