by KYW's Lynne Adkins

The traffic detours on a key stretch of Germantown Avenue were ending on Friday afternoon following an 11-month road reconstruction project (see previous stories).

The road closures and traffic detours that started in January were ending at 4pm on Friday as Penndot workers reopened Germantown Avenue between Mermaid Lane and Winston Road.

Penndot spokesman Gene Blaum:

"It would be the last detour removal on the avenue that has been completely rebuilt between Allen's Lane and Mermaid Lane.  It's a little over 3,000 feet.  It's part of the $17-million improvement project on Germantown Avenue."

The block-by-block closures affected local businesses and forced thousands of drivers each day to take detours around the construction as workers replaced century-old underground utility lines and rebuilt the roadway.

Blaum says there is still some work to be done, such as planting trees, but he says that work can and will be done with the road open to traffic.