The region’s economic growth has presented tremendous
opportunities for businesses.
That is also true for the Lehigh Valley Planning
Commission, but planners say that growth also creates challenges when it comes
to building and funding road improvements.
The commission released a much-anticipated long-range
transportation plan laying out the projects that the area will need to support
continued growth over the next 15 years, and how it plans to pay for them. At
Tuesday’s 2015 Lehigh Valley Transportation Forum, hosted by the Greater Lehigh
Valley Chamber of Commerce, the planning commission’s executive director
presented the finalized version of the plan.
More people, more businesses and more freight are fueling
the need for what could be $2.5 billion worth of projects on the 15-year plan,
Becky Bradley said. In the plans are a new interchange on Interstate 78 in
Upper Macungie Township and a widening of Route 22.
In a speech to a packed house of elected officials,
business owners and stakeholders at the Mack Trucks Customer Center in South
Allentown, Bradley praised the recent influx of residents and businesses into
the Lehigh Valley. But she explained that the continued growth brings
infrastructure challenges.
“Good planning underpins everything,” she said. “It’s a
great time to invest in the Lehigh Valley because of that.”
She said that over the next 20 years, the demand for new
housing in the region will remain strong, based on the area’s continued
population growth. The combined population of Northampton and Lehigh counties
was just under 650,000 in the 2010 census – an 11.8 percent increase since
2000.
Bradley said even if the population grows at a slightly
slower rate, the area will have about 792,000 people by 2030. At the same time,
she said, the average household size in the Lehigh Valley continues to decline,
furthering the need for new housing.
MORE FREIGHT
The commission also believes that the area’s economic
growth, particularly in warehousing and distribution services, will continue in
the coming decades. That, Bradley said, presents its own set of infrastructure
challenges for regional planners to tackle.
The amount of freight that is moved through the Lehigh
Valley in 2011 was about 40 million tons. Bradley said to put that in context,
in a given year in the 1950s, Bethlehem Steel itself moved about 23 million
tons.
The study anticipates that the amount of freight will
double by 2040 – which means a significant impact on area roads and bridges.
Because of those challenges, the new study increases the
estimated amount of transportation funding needed for area roads between now
and 2030. While previously it was anticipated that it would take $1.9 billion
to complete those projects, Bradley said it will now take about $2.5 billion to
complete the work.
“As we continue to urbanize and suburbanize, you can
expect more [infrastructure challenges],” Bradley said.
Bradley did not get into specifics about where the
projects would be located – but they are outlined in detail in the plan. She
stressed the need for a new interchange on Interstate 78 in Upper Macungie
Township, where the majority of the truck trips in and out of the area
originate. She also discussed widening Route 22 between Airport Road and 15th
Street – which will require the replacement of several large bridge spans,
including one over the Lehigh River.
FEDERAL FUNDING
A common question raised throughout the transportation
forum was whether Congress will provide the funding necessary to complete the
projects. Bradley said that 80 percent of the funding for road projects in the
area originates in the federal government.
State Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards, the
keynote speaker, explained that the federal highway trust fund needs to be
extended meaningfully. She said that it has been sustained month to month with
emergency congressional action. But in order to do long range planning, they
need to know there will be a dedicated source of funding.
She said the state transportation package passed in 2013
– which uses increased gasoline taxes to fund infrastructure – will help, but
is not a panacea to Pennsylvania’s infrastructure issues.
“Yes it’s fantastic, and we are the envy of many states
who do not have it, but it doesn’t mean that everyone’s wish list is going to
be completed,” she said.
Federal highway funding was also a hot topic in a panel
of local transportation heavyweights. The panel was moderated by chamber CEO
Tony Iannelli and followed the fast-paced format he has become known for on his
weekly television show.
State Department of Transportation District 5 executive
Michael Rebert agreed with Richards that federal funding is crucial to
completing the infrastructure projects that the area needs.
“I’d love for it to be the decade of investment,” Rebert
said. “But we need the certainty of federal funding.”
Source: LVB
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