These are secondary roads connecting West Philadelphia (an area of much rioting and looting) to the wealthy main line areas. About 1/2 the secondary roads are blocked off with “road work” that never happens, since March. Main roads (like Montgomery Ave) have barriers set up in the center, so that cars approaching, say a future planned checkpoint, would not be able to turn around or get away via a secondary road, since these are heavily blocked. Prevents West Phila getting out to the west
I think that what is happening here is that West Philadelphia and the densely populated immediate western suburbs will be blocked access to I76 West and the PA Turnpike, and essentially locked in. That’s what it looks like. I’m going to get a paper map and mark it all out on a map. I think that what they are doing will be more apparent when showed on a map