Annual Report FY1999

The Commission The Region A Message Developing A Plan For Job Access Meeting The Interchange Challenge Finding Answers To Diverse Community Issues Entering A New Age Of Transportation Forging Toward The Future - On-Line Breathing Easy Tipping The Scales In The Region's Favor Preserving Our Region's Airports Commuting With Ease Moving Freight Forward Building A Better Highway Shaping The Region's Future The Numbers The Board

The Commision
Established in 1965, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) provides comprehensive, coordinated planning for the orderly growth and development of the bi-state region.

As an interstate, intercounty, and intercity agency, DVRPC advises on regional policy and capital funding issues concerning transportation, economic development, the environment, and land use. To satisfy the broadest constituency, we foster cooperation among member governments and agencies, private sector organizations, and the public. We also work closely with a host of agencies, including state departments of transportation, community affairs and environmental protection, the federal government, and regional transportation providers. No matter who we're serving, DVRPC is dedicated to delivering critical data and consulting services that will enhance the planning efforts for our nine-county metropolitan region.

DVRPC is governed by an 18-member Board which establishes regional policy, defines committee duties, and adopts the annual work program. A 10-member Executive Committee oversees general operations and fiscal matters. Our planning and service functions are split among the Office of the Executive Director, Office of Public Affairs and three divisions: Transportation Planning, Regional Planning, and Administration.

Financial support for the organization's diverse activities comes from federal, state, county, city, operating agencies, and private sector funds.

The Region

• Fifth largest metropolitan area in the nation
• Approximately 4,000 square miles
• Home to over 5 million residents and 2.8 million jobs
• Comprised of nine counties: Pennsylvania Bucks Chester Delaware Montgomery and Philadelphia counties New Jersey Burlington Camden Gloucester and Mercer counties
• Offers a diversity of educational and business opportunities
• Five dozen four-year colleges and universities
• More than 25 medical schools and teaching hospitals comprising the famous Medical Mile
• Headquarters to 15 Fortune 500 companies
• World's largest market for foreign currency options
• Safest of the ten large metropolitan areas in the US
• Vibrant tourism, cultural, and entertainment industries: Independence Mall, Avenue of the Arts Camden Waterfront, First Union Center

A Message

From the Board Chairman and Executive Director

We have come to the end of an extraordinary century and the beginning of what promises to be an equally remarkable new millennium. A time of reflection; a time of vision for the future. As we turn this page in the history books, one tenet remains steadfast DVRPC is committed to tackling regional transportation, environmental and land use issues and moving the Delaware Valley forward through sound, proactive planning.

DVRPC worked diligently in FY 99 to ensure our ability to meet the planning challenges of the next century.

Building on the strong foundation of the Year 2020 Long-Range Plan, DVRPC began work on our fifth regional plan, Horizons 2025. Updating the plan will be a two- year effort, beginning with a publication entitled Horizons Report #1: The Shape of Things to Come Thinking About the Region's Future. The planning effort will also include community involvement meetings, surveys, extensive public outreach, and additional publications focusing on Issues and Choices; Land Use; Transportation; and Expanding Our Horizons.

Considering the hurdles faced by the region's First Generation Suburbs, DVRPC developed recommendations to overcome identified problems, such as the loss of middle class households, jobs and tax base and increased local demand for social services. We also examined a new vision for development in the Delaware Valley called New Regionalism , with hopes it will spur a public dialogue about changing how land use and transportation decisions are made at all levels.

Working to create an environment conducive to productivity, DVRPC adopted a Job Access and Reverse Commute Plan which facilitates access to jobs for welfare and lower income persons. The plan strategy focuses on promoting transit affordability, improving accessibility and encouraging job retention with transportation-related support, among other goals.

Our ongoing corporate and community initiatives like TransitChek, Ozone Action and the Mobility Alternatives Progam (MAP) are stronger than ever. In fact, largely due to the implementation of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), our TransitChek program enjoyed explosive growth in FY 99, increasing its annual sales by 45 percent over FY 98.

Keeping our promise to reach out to citizens to provide them with more say in our collective future, we recently completed a Citizen's Guide to the Regional Planning Process. This piece is aimed at providing members of the public with the tools they need to be informed participants and to give the general public more of a voice in the decision-making process. The Guide is filled with important information about DVRPC committees, what they do and how the community can get involved. The Commission's major public outreach effort continues to be our Regional Citizens Committee which meets monthly to review issues and make recommendations to the DVRPC Board.

At DVRPC, we strive to learn from lessons of the past to build a better, brighter tomorrow for the Delaware Valley. We know that sharing information with the public and other regional partners is the most successful way to conduct business. We have a stake in a multitude of diverse projects, meetings and conferences throughout the area. Therefore, this year DVRPC has chosen to present our FY 1999 Annual Report in a calendar format. The calendar not only highlights our involvement in projects over the past year, but it allows us to share information about the planning process and significant dates for the year ahead with regional stakeholders. We encourage you to use the calendar to keep apprised of upcoming DVRPC-related events of interest.

Developing A Plan For Job Access
Over $1.8 million of federal funding has been designated to provide transportation services and other supportive activities that facilitate access to jobs for welfare and lower income persons, as well as reverse commute trips for the general population within the Delaware Valley. A total of $75 million was available in FY 1999 nationwide, as a result of a five-year initiative administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) entitled the Job Access and Reverse Commute Competitive Grant Program. This program is one of many included under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). TEA-21 emphasizes a more balanced, multi-modal transportation system and consideration of the environmental and social consequences of transportation investments. As the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) developed a Regional Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation Plan which was formally adopted by the DVRPC Board last week. The adopted plan provides a solid foundation for developing a variety of transportation services and support projects that meet the goals of the new grant program. DVRPC was required to review and select potential applicants and projects for this program. Evaluation was accomplished using a six-point Regional Access to Jobs Strategy, included in the newly adopted plan. The six key strategy elements included:

• Promoting transit affordability,
• Improving accessibility with new transportation and ridesharing initiatives;
• Promoting job retention with transportation-related support services;
• Promoting long-term viability of new transportation services;
• Expanding transit education to increase ridership;
• Developing ways to promote more effective access to jobs coordination.

Through DVRPC's efforts, fourteen projects were ranked as high priority for FY 1999 funding three projects in New Jersey totaling $515,000 and twelve projects in Pennsylvania totaling $1,323,576. Applicants are working with SEPTA, NJTransit and FTA to attain certification to receive the grant funding.

The Regional Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation Plan will be evaluated at least annually in conjunction with the application process for the FTA's Program and DVRPC's ongoing Planning Work Program activities.

Meeting The Interchange Challenge
On any given morning you may awaken to a traffic report discussing the chore of traveling through the I-295/ I-76/NJ Route 42 Interchange. The interchange, literally at the crossroads of Southern New Jersey, handles over 225,000 vehicles on an average day. But it doesn't always handle them smoothly.

In a three and one-half year period, there were more than 2,100 accidents and three fatalities within the interchange area. In addition, numerous substandard geometric and operational conditions exist, such as poor sight distance, inadequate bridge clearances, missing ramps and the lack of direct connection for through traffic on I-295. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and DVRPC are working to change these conditions and solve the Interchange's complex problems.

Last fall, NJDOT and DVRPC instituted a Transportation Investment Study (TIS) to address the issues surrounding the Interchange. The TIS, a cooperative effort including both private and public stakeholders, was established to provide decision- makers with a range of multi-modal improvement alternatives prior to the allocation of federal funds. This study was designed to focus on types and levels of benefits for each alternative, not on construction feasibility or cost. To achieve a collaborative process, six meetings of a TIS Committee (composed of Federal, regional, county and municipal stakeholders) were held at key decision points to direct the technical analysis. Two public meetings were also held to obtain more detailed information on publicconcerns; one at the beginning of the study to examine the range of alternatives to be studied, and another near the end of the study to present preliminary findings. The primary focus of the study was the Interchange itself, but a secondary focus was on portions of the highway network in surrounding Gloucester and Camden counties. The primary objectives of the study were to:

• Reduce accidents within the interchange;
• Separate regional traffic flows through the interchange;
• Improve design standards within the interchange;
• Improve traffic operations within the interchange;
• Divert regional traffic from surrounding arterials;
• Reduce congestion within the interchange and the surrounding region.

The TIS screening process resulted in the development of seven highway and transit alternatives which were measured against the goals and objectives of the study. Key findings included:

• Building a new turnpike interchange between the NJ Turnpike and Route 42 in the vicinity of the Route 42/55 merge, would produce significant regional benefits, but does not address the interchange problems;
• A Partial Build, where the missing ramps from I-295 northbound to Route 42 southbound and Route 42 northbound to I-295 southbound are added, would improve the interchange and could be implemented independent of a Full Build Alternative since the missing ramps serve their own market;
• The Full Build Alternative, to add the missing ramps plus direct Route 42/I-295 access, provides the greatest benefit to the interchange and to the region and is the only alternative that addresses all the study objectives.

Based on this study, the Full Build appears to be the preferred alternative. The Full Build would eliminate the geometric deficiencies and reduce the high number of accidents within the interchange. The TIS Committee recommended that the Partial Build Alternative, which is an element of the Full Build alternative, be advanced as soon as possible and before the more complex Full Build Alternative. With the DVRPC Board's approval of the TIS, NJDOT will initiate analysis to determine feasibility of building the interchange.

Finding Answers To Diverse Community Issues
In a region with as much history as the Delaware Valley, many different types of com-munities have developed over a long period of time. In some cases, these municipalities number among the oldest industrial boroughs and townships, while others have reinvented themselves into shining examples of livable communities of place. In each case, DVRPC has played a role in formulating policy to deal with the issues of the former and the benefits of the latter.

First Generation Suburbs Face Host of Issues
Older Delaware Valley communities can be divided into two groups: older industrial boroughs such as Pottstown, PA or Bordentown, NJ that are scattered around the region, reflecting early settlements; or townships and boroughs that developed rapidly in the years immediately following World War II, such as Cherry Hill, NJ or Bensalem, PA that are largely clustered around Philadelphia and Camden, along the banks of the Delaware River.

Many of the region's "first generation suburbs" are currently experiencing financial and social challenges that until recently were considered to be exclusively urban problems. Consequently, these communities are losing middle class households, jobs and tax base; local demand for social services is increasing; and the ability of these suburbs to finance municipal services and schools is coming under stress.

In the report, The Future of First Generation Suburbs in the Delaware Valley Region, DVRPC examines the state of the region's oldest suburbs and explores policy and planning strategies to address the challenges that they face. The report reviews the history of suburban development and regional decentralization; measures fiscal and socioeconomic conditions and differences among municipalities and school districts using various demographic and fiscal factors; and develops recommendations to overcome identified problems through tax reform, regional planning and case studies of successful local revitalization initiatives. Many of these remedies complement each other and can be advanced concurrently to address regional fiscal disparities and decentralized land use patterns.

Envisioning A New Region
Suburban development in the Delaware Valley has created a lifestyle for many families of a single family home, private yard, and seemingly unrestrained mobility. But this random pattern of suburban expansion has also contributed to problems in the area. Traffic congestion, loss of open space and urban deterioration are just some of the symptoms affecting the region. As we move into the 21st century, DVRPC is re-examining ways to bring back vibrancy and sense of place to create a more satisfying way of life for Delaware Valley residents, thus increasing the "livability" of communities in our region.

A report released by DVRPC in July entitled, New Regionalism: Building Livable Communities Across the Delaware Valley, examines a new vision for development in the Delaware Valley. We hope it will spur a public dialogue about changing how land use and transportation decisions are made. The report explains key strategies and design principles, and makes recommendations for enhancing livability at both the neighborhood and regionwide scale. The report also presents local case studies of how various communities in the Delaware Valley are applying these principles to make themselves more livable.

New Regionalism promotes planning with the entire Philadelphia metropolitan area in mind since the region embodies the basic economic, environmental, and cultural unit within which people live, work and play. It cautions us to rebuild and reclaim existing communities first, before building on greenfield sites. New Regionalism encourages building upon the Delaware Valley's unique natural, cultural and physical assets and it suggests providing people with meaningful choices about where and how they live.

DVRPC is now revisiting the policy assumptions of its Year 2020 Plan and extending its forecasts and vision to the Year 2025. The purpose of the New Regionalism report is to build on the strategies introduced in the Year 2020 Plan and provide detailed guidance on developing and redeveloping well-planned communities for the future.

Copies of The Future of First Genration Suburbs in the Delaware Valley Region and New Regionalism: Building Livable Communities Across the Delaware Valley are available by contacting DVRPC's Resource Center at 215-238-2828.

Entering A New Age Of Transportation
The future of transportation may surprise many. Commuting to work could be quicker and easier; safety could be ensured and help could be automatically dispatched in emergencies. How is this possible when today we crawl along in our cars in congested traffic or wait anxiously for a train that is late?

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the means to reach this ideal future. In 1991, recognizing the need to address the aging transportation network in this country, Congress created the ITS program, a plan to focus on intelligent infrastructure and intelligent vehicles. Intelligent infrastructure helps send real-time data on system performance to travelers and transportation operators. Intelligent vehicles complement the ITS infrastructure by focusing on safety and information systems for cars, trucks, buses and trains. Together, this "smart" technology makes it possible to solve congestion problems and report timely information to travelers so they can select better routes or modes of transportation.

Once in place, benefits are inherent for everyone. Metropolitan areas will see advanced traffic surveillance and signal control systems resulting in travel time improvements; electronic fare payment technologies for transit systems will mean increased revenues; and incident management programs will reduce delays associated with congestion. In rural areas, advanced collision-avoidance technology will prevent many crashes. On the nation's roadways, commercial vehicles will benefit from onboard safety systems proven to reduce fatalities; and freight mobility systems will mean productivity gains for private carriers. While ITS technologies alone cannot solve our transportation problems, they can enable us to re-think our approach to problem solutions, as well as make current activities more efficient and cost effective. Furthermore, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) encourages statewide and metropolitan planning activities to include the regional implementation and integration of ITS services through the development of a Regional ITS Architecture.

In the Delaware Valley, ITS is getting underway through a Coordinating Council, comprised of more than 25 stakeholders, established by DVRPC to develop policy and set priorities. Another team, the Delaware Valley ITS Technical Task Force, a working group of approximately 30 stakeholders, has met monthly since June, 1998 to provide technical input to the development of a Regional ITS Architecture in accordance with guidelines set forth by USDOT. These committees will identify operating agencies who need to know about the travel conditions and incidents; examine information flows between agencies; define agency coordination procedures; recommend methods to improve communication among agencies; and notify travelers using existing equipment as well as off-the-shelf technology.

It is easy to imagine how ITS will improve the concept of travel. The future holds great promise, and through this DVRPC initiative, the world of tomorrow is already in sight.

Forging Toward The Future - On-Line
From highway planning to the information superhighway, DVRPC's website is a powerful tool for keeping informed about the very latest happenings at DVRPC. The site underwent major renovations in FY 1999, from a new appearance and an expanded scope of information to an easier format for locating important resources. Now, from the moment you enter our web address at www.dvrpc.org and open our home page, a wealth of information is literally at your fingertips. You'll find direct links to DVRPC's Meeting Calendar, Data Services, Regional Planning, Transportation, Public Affairs, and other related information.

The Regional Planning Webpage contains information on the regional indicators, greenways and open space planning, coastal zone management, housing, access-to-jobs, and public policy research.

The Transportation page describes the Competitive Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Mobility Alternatives Program (MAP), and Ozone Action.

The Public Affairs area has online editions of DVRPC News, the agency's newsletter which is issued three times each year, as well as media releases, a glossary of acronyms, and information for citizens on how to get involved in the planning process. This page also contains information on DVRPC's Regional Citizens Committee.

On the Commission's Homepage, you'll find instant access to several DVRPC high priority initiatives like TransitChek, Online mapping, TravelSmart, and Horizons 2025, the Long-Range Plan for the Region. The TransitChek section has been expanded to include testimonials from actual users, an Online edition of TransitChek News, and an updated brochure and order form. Our Online Mapping Service allows visitors to create custom maps and now includes 1995 land use and local street data.

Other recent enhancements include an expanded Publication guide (complete with report covers and abstracts); additional data bulletins and downloadable data files; a Board Member and Staff List; broadened Job Vacancy descriptions; and links to member governments. We encourage everyone to check the website periodically for updates and new additions.

Breathing Easy
The lazy, hazy days of summer are fast approaching and it's time to make plans to garden, relax around the pool, and have picnics in the park. While the sun beckons us to increase our outdoor activities, it also creates the perfect setting for ground-level ozone pollution a by-product created when pollutants from tailpipe emissions, fuel evaporation, and smokestacks bake in the sun. As the days get hotter, it also brings the smog that often blankets the city and suburbs, making the air we breathe less than healthful.

Most people are unaware that ground-level ozone, an odorless, colorless gas, can rob them of needed oxygen. To alert the public about the health and environmental effects of ground-level ozone, the Ozone Action Partnership each year launches the multi-state Ozone Action Program. The Partnership represents a coalition of business, government and environmental groups, from Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that work collaboratively to inform the public of ways in which to improve and maintain the region's air quality. The Delaware Valley's Ozone Action Partnership is part of a growing nationwide trend toward voluntary pollution prevention that unites industry and private citizens in a common goal cleaner air.

In May, 1999, the Ozone Action season kicked off with a reception & luncheon at the Independence Seaport Museum. Emphasizing the importance of public transportation in reducing motor vehicle emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone, the event brought together nearly 100 state and local officials, business partners and members of the media. In addition, awards were presented to Ozone Action partners for their outstanding contributions to the Part-nership, and to a member of the media for consistent and dedicated coverage of the Ozone Action forecast. Recognized at the event were PECO Energy, SEPTA, the Bernardine Center, and NBC 10. The event also marked the unveiling of the new 27-passenger compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses for the Phlash Downtown Visitor Shuttle.

Administered by DVRPC, the summer-long Ozone Action Program alerts the public of ground-level ozone and forecasts Ozone Action days when levels are unhealthful. When an Ozone Action day is forecast, employers, the media and DVRPC spread the news, asking people to take cost-efficient, voluntary actions to reduce emissions by using transit or car pooling to work, refueling cars in the evening when the sun is down, and postponing lawn mowing with gas-powered mowers.

During this past fiscal year, the Ozone Action Partnership also was the proud recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Environmental Pro-tection Agency, Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transportation Administration. The grant will merge the Ozone Action Program with the It All Adds Up To Cleaner Air Program to create an advertising campaign that encourages citizens to adopt simple pollution-reduction measures, such as combining trips, using transit or car pooling to work; and maintaining an automobile and its emission controls.

The It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air Program permits rapid dissemination of messages which are consistent with the Ozone Action objectives. Merging the two programs allows the Partnership to continue the call for voluntary actions beyond the three and a half months, from mid-May through early September, during which forecasts are made. DVRPC was one of 14 programs selected to receive a grant out of 70 proposals submitted from around the country.

Tipping The Scales In The Region's Favor
Better mobility, safer travel and cleaner air are ideally the end results of the transportation projects slated for the region over the next four years. Under the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), over $4.2 billion in transportation funds will be spent on more than 600 highway and transit projects, as approved by the DVRPC Board.

The DVRPC FY 1999-2002 TIP for South-eastern Pennsylvania (including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) contains more than 475 projects totaling about $3.4 billion over four years. It includes $1.6 billion in projects related to highway systems and $1.8 billion in transit-related projects, including Route 309 Expressway Rehabilitation; US 202 Widening and Interchange Projects; US 322 Corridor Improvements; I-95 Reconstruction; Market Elevated Reconstruction; Frankford Trans-portation Center; and a Regional Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). Simultaneously with the adoption of the TIP, the DVRPC Board approved amendments to the Commission's Year 2020 Plan which include: Highland Avenue Extension (Delaware County); PA 23 Relocation; PA 309 to Sumneytown Pike Connector; PA 63 Widening from PA Turnpike to Detweiler (Montgomery County); North Delaware Avenue Extension (Philadelphia); and two studies to widen the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one between Valley Forge and Norristown, and another between Norristown and Lansdale.

The FY 2000 - 2002 TIP for the New Jersey portion of the Delaware Valley (including Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties) schedules over $480 million in projects related to the highway system and $360 million for PATCO and NJTRANSIT related projects. Several projects of special interest in this TIP include: NJ TRANSIT's Camden to Trenton Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line; Computerized Traffic Signals for Routes 30, 38, 70,& 73; I-295/I-76/NJ42 Interchange Improvements; Delaware River Tram (DRPA); US 322 Corridor Improve-ments; 30 Bridge Replacement Projects; Route 29 Project along the Trenton Waterfront; I-95 Interchange Improvements; and State Aid for County and Municipal Roads and Bridges.

The TIP is comprised of all projects that intend to use federal funds, along with non-federally funded projects that are regionally significant, and is a requirement of federal transportation legislation, most recently the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). This program enables the DVRPC Board to select and prioritize the many transportation-related projects proposed for the region, while maximizing the allocation and use of available federal dollars. The list is multi-modal; in addition to the more traditional highway and public transit projects, it includes bicycle, pedestrian, and freight-related projects as well. The TIP not only lists the specific projects, but also documents the anticipated schedule and cost for each project phase. Inclusion of a project phase in the TIP means that it is seriously expected to be implemented during the TIP time period.

The TIP covers four years in Pennsylvania, and three years in New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, the TIP is updated every other year; in New Jersey, it is updated annually. The TIP is financially constrained to the amount of funds that are expected to be available. In Pennsylvania, funding targets are established through a statewide cooperative process and published as guidance by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

As part of DVRPC's ongoing effort to make decisions with the public, not for the public, DVRPC held four public meetings throughout the region to allow citizens to pose questions about the process and projects that affect them. Also during the 30-day public comment period for each TIP, DVRPC issued media releases, legal notices, and made the TIP document available at numerous libraries throughout the region, as well as over the internet through the DVRPC Webpage (www.dvrpc.org).

During FY 1999, DVRPC staff prepared and published a booklet with more detailed information on how a project gets on the TIP and the path a TIP project travels to completion. Those interested can contact DVRPC to request a copy of the Transportation Improvement Program: A Guide for Municipal Officials, Special Interest Groups & Citizens.

Preserving Our Region's Airports
While some progress has been made this year toward the design aviation system prescribed in DVRPC's Year 2020 Regional Airport Systems Plan (RASP), DVRPC staff continue their efforts for increased public funding of smaller airports to preserve the region's aviation capacity.

The importance of protecting our region's smaller airports can not be overemphasized. These airports both support and relieve the larger commercial facilities by serving our suburban areas. About 70% of our region's suburban airports are privately owned, and have not received the public funds that commit them to remaining in the aviation system for a period of years in the future. Without federal and state funding, there is a risk that these properties will be sold, and their services lost to corporate and private travelers in the Delaware Valley.

At its July, 1999 meeting the DVRPC Board adopted the FY 2000 Regional Airport Capital Improvement Program. This program, in compliance with the RASP, directs funds to regional airports that exhibit the greatest need for public support to make improvements.

Funds have also been directed to the continued construction of Runway 8-26 and new terminal access ramps at Philadelphia International Airport. In addition, 12 smaller airports in the region have been identified as needing public support to improve safety and capacity through land acquisition, enhanced lighting, obstruction removal and runway improvements. Those smaller airports identified in the Capital Program include: Wings and Pottstown Limerick in Montgomery County; New Garden, and Brandywine Airports in Chester County; Pennridge in Bucks County; South Jersey Regional Airport in Burlington County; Cross Keys in Gloucester County; New Castle and Summit in New Castle County; Raintree Airpark in Cecil County and Delaware Ave. Heliport in Center City Philadelphia.

In conjunction with the goals of the Year 2020 Regional Airport System Plan, the region's capital needs are reviewed annually and recommendations are then forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the state's aviation divisions. Once approved by the FAA, and/or the state, the projects are then financed through the federal aviation trust fund, via state block grants and/or through state aviation funds.

The total state and federal investment during FY 1999 for the region's airports was $19.3 million , 16% less than last year, but 25% more than the 15.4 million distributed in 1997. Private and local funds committed to our airports raise the total investment to over $40 million annually.

Commuting with Ease
Our community benefits in so many ways when more people ride together whatever the destination. With summer travel over, September begins a busy season on our region's roads and rails. Try Transit Week, sponsored by the American Public Transit Association (APTA), provides an opportunity to honor transit employees and regular customers, as well as to educate potential riders about the many advantages of using public transit. DVRPC stays busy during Try Transit Week and all throughout the year promoting initiatives which help to facilitate a smooth commute for area residents including:

TransitChek FY 99 was a period of tremendous growth for TransitChek. DVRPC actively promoted our TransitChek program throughout the region and as a result, the program increased its annual sales by 45 percent over FY 98. Another milestone occurred when the DuPont Corporation joined the TransitChek program, making them the single largest private purchaser to enlist since DVRPC began administering the program in 1991. TransitChek enables employers of any size to subsidize employee commutes on public transit or vanpools, and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) now allows for employees to purchase these vouchers from employers through a pre-tax, payroll deduction. TransitCheks can be used at authorized transit outlets to purchase tickets, tokens and passes. Employees can receive up to $65 per month or $780 per year in TransitCheks.

Mobility Alternatives Program (MAP) assists employers in the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania region in decreasing the number of single-occupancy vehicles driven to their worksite, thus reducing the overall traffic congestion in the region. DVRPC works with local Transportation Management Associations (TMA's), and SEPTA in reaching and education employers and their employees about alternate commute options available and their benefits.

Share-A-Ride allows commuters to be matched to convenient transit, carpool or vanpool even receive information on biking or walking to work. Share-A-Ride does not necessarily require an employer's participation. Commuters can participate on their own. During FY 99, Share-A-Ride received a boost when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation posted roadside signs throughout the region featuring important SAR contact information.

Moving Freight Forward
Moving freight, like raw materials and finished products, is an area of increasing importance to the Delaware Valley. Businesses, jobs, and consumers all rely on it. It is, therefore, critical to continue DVRPC's involvement in devising regional goods movement strategies that will facilitate the flow of freight and minimize adverse impacts on local communities.

The Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force is the DVRPC committee responsible for forging consensus freight programs and policies. The committee convenes all local freight practitioners and experts including trucking, railroad, port, airport, shipper, freight forwarder, and economic development agency interests. By involving the Goods Movement Task Force in DVRPC's activities, like its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Work Program, the committee serves as a national model of a regional multi-sector freight partnership.

Mega-ships, doublestack and heavier rail cars, the containerization of cargo, Intellegent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies and time definite shipments are having a profound impact on the freight transportation land-scape. For this reason, DVRPC has committed significant resources and technical capabilities to examining freight issues and identifying needed capital improvements. In FY 1999, this commitment led to the release of the Delaware Valley Rail Freight Plan and Intermodal Management System New Jersey Report, issuance of the monthly Freight Lines data bulletin, and an inventory of National Highway System connectors.

Through proper planning, the Delaware Valley region is enhancing its role as an international distribution center for the global economy. The region already possesses many of the necessary ingredients: one of the world's busiest freshwater ports; three large freight railroads and many smaller ones; an airport with national and international cargo services; and an excellent highway network. Building on these strengths and moving freight forward in the transportation planning process provide the region with an exciting and unprecedented opportunity.

Building a Better Highway
Modernizing a highway in an era that places prime importance on environmental impacts and neighborhood concerns is a difficult and challenging task one that involves a sometimes conflicting position between residents, consultants, transportation engineers and planners. US 202 is no exception.

As it passes through four Pennsylvania counties, providing connections to Delaware to the south and New Jersey to the north, US 202 forms an important corridor that serves as both a major commuter route and vital link for business and industry in the tri-state region. Some of the fastest growing areas in the Greater Philadelphia Region are located along this 59-mile highway, which varies in size and capacity as it moves through Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties.

Recognizing the importance of US 202 and the very real need to increase its capacity to relieve congestion and meet both existing and future traffic demands, public and private interests have spent the past year examining opportunities to refine the highway's operations throughout the corridor.

In Chester County, planners realize that the completed Exton Bypass and planned improvements already underway to US 202 (Section 400) in the King of Prussia area will further burden a 7-mile section of US 202 that already carries more traffic than it was designed to handle. Known as Section 300, this four-lane, limited access portion of US 202 between the Exton Bypass (US 30) and the State Route 252/Howelville/ Swedesford Road interchange has been the subject of an improvement proposal that has examined widening the highway to provide a third travel lane within the grass median.

The proposed widening also includes the provision of a northbound collector-distributor road through the PA Route 29 interchange, modifications to bridge clearances, noise wall construction and storm water management treatments. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $115 million and could be completed as early as 2004.

McCormick, Taylor and Associates, a Philadelphia-based engineering and planning consulting firm, was selected to conduct the environmental study, while DVRPC provided both project management and technical services. This phase is intended to identify the necessary transportation improvements, address engineering feasibility, assess potential environmental and community impacts, develop appropriate mitigation, and identify the public's concerns. These analyses have culminated in an environmental document known as a Categorial Exclusion Evaluation, which has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for review. The next phase of the project will include final design of the proposed improvements.

For its part, the Commission prepared travel forecasts and completed a Congestion Management System (CMS) study to meet federal requirements and to enhance the proposed widening. The CMS analysis concluded that non-highway improvements, such as transportation demand management (TDM), would not be able to meet the needs of the corridor and that widening is warranted. Commitments resulting from the CMS include parking lot expansion at several SEPTA stations; new and expanded transit service; bicycle facilities; a pedestrian overpass at Exton over Route 100; and traffic operations improvements.

Because DVRPC wholeheartedly believes that public participation is vital to such a study, the Commission and the consultant held a number of open houses to provide information and receive input; and established a project website to provide the citizenry with up-to-the-minute project information, and direct e-mail communication with the project team. The study was managed through a partnership that included DVRPC, Chester County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and FHWA.

In 1995, DVRPC adopted the Year 2020 Comprehensive Plan, the region's fourth long-range plan, which has been used to guide regional and local planning efforts. The Commission has worked to implement the recommendations of the Plan through detailed corridor studies, greenway plans and land use planning projects, in collaboration and coordination with state, county, and local plans.

Adoption of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998, presents a new imperative to revisit and revise the Year 2020 work. TEA-21 provides additional funding for transportation improvements but also significantly revises the planning factors for metropolitan areas and presents new selection criteria for both highway and transit projects. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey are now updating their State Transportation Plans. In addition, release of the Governor's 21st Century Environment Commission report in Pennsylvania and the refinement of the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan present new policy directions for the region. Finally, with the approach of the year 2000, it is also essential to maintain the required 20-year planning horizon and extend the target date of the regional plan to 2025.

To begin this vital work, DVRPC has issued the first of five publications that will set the tone for Horizons, the Year 2025 Plan for the Delaware Valley. Future publications will examine issues and choices, land use, transportation, and implementation. A series of Year 2025 workshops have also been scheduled to provide an opportunity for the public to help build this vision for the region's future. Additional public participation will include presentations to groups and organizations, newsletters, surveys, displays at public venues, and website information and feedback. In addition, DVRPC is considering programs in area schools and within selected corridors of the region to listen to community concerns and ideas for the future.

An essential component of the long-range planning process is development of population and employment forecasts at the regional, county and municipal levels. DVRPC is responsible for maintaining the official, long-range forecasts for the Delaware Valley region, and the forecasts in turn are used by DVRPC to develop transportation modeling numbers for use in determining future travel demand and evaluation of individual highway and transit projects. They are also used to guide the long-range plan and as indicators of trends in each county and municipality. The forecasts were prepared by DVRPC staff in conjunction with city, county, state and federal agency representatives, as well as a panel of regional economists from the private sector.

The Year 2025 regional and county level forecasts were adopted by the DVRPC Board during FY 1999; municipal forecasts will follow in the next fiscal year.

The Numbers

The Board

Officers

Chairman
Colin A. Hanna

Vice Chairman
Jerrold D. Colton, Esq.

Secretary
Timothy J. Carson, Esq.

Treasurer
Ridgeley P. Ware

Pennsylvania Governor's Appointee
Timothy J. Carson, Esq.
Saul, Ewing, Remick & Saul

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Bradley L. Mallory Secretary of Transportation
Larry M. King Deputy Secretary for Planning

PA Governor's Policy Office
Charles B. Zogby Director
Charles Bohnenberger Director, Governor's Southeast Office
Ronald K. Bednar Regional Planning Director, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

City of Chester
Dominic Pileggi Mayor
William Payne Director, Division of Planning

City of Philadelphia
Edward G. Rendell Mayor
Denise L. Goren Deputy Mayor for Transportation

Bucks County
Charles H. Martin Chairman, Bucks County Commissioners
Michael G. Fitzpatrick Bucks County Commissioner

Chester County
Colin A. Hanna Chairman, Chester County Commissioners
Charles C. Coyne, Esq. Hepburn Willcox Hamilton & Putnam

Delaware County
John J. McFadden Councilman, Delaware County Council
John E. Pickett Director, Delaware County Planning Department

Montgomery County
Mario Mele Chairman, Montgomery County Commissioners
Arthur F. Loeben Former Director Montgomery County Planning Commission

New Jersey Governor's Appointee
Jerrold D. Colton, Esq.

New Jersey Department of Transportation
James Weinstein Commissioner
William S. Beetle Director, Transportation Systems Planning Division
John H. Moore Manager, Bureau of Statewide Planning

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
Jane Kenny Commissioner
Joyce Paul Executive Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner

City of Camden
Milton Milan Mayor
Edward Williams Supervising Planner

City of Trenton
Douglas H. Palmer Mayor
Andrew Carten Director, Division of Planning

Burlington County
Ridgeley P. Ware Ware Associates
Carol Ann Thomas Principal Transportation Planner

Camden County
Laurelle A. Cummings Freeholder, Camden County
J. Douglas Griffith Planning Director, Camden County Division of Planning

Gloucester County
James G. Atkinson Freeholder, Gloucester County
Charles E. Romick Planning Director, Gloucester County Planning Department

Mercer County
Robert D. Prunetti County Executive
Donna Lewis Director, Mercer County Planning Division

PARTICIPATORY NON-VOTING MEMBERS AND ALTERNATIVES
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Pennsylvania Division
Ronald W. Carmichael Division Administrator
Robert A. Hall Supervisory Community Planner
New Jersey Division
Dennis L. Merida Division Administrator
Lawrence Cullari Transportation Planner

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, REGION III
Karen Miller Secretary's Representative
Karen L. Black Community Builder

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
John K. Leary Jr. General Manager
Christopher Patton Director, Capital and Long-Range Planning

New Jersey Transit Corporation
Stanley Rosenblum Acting Executive Director
James Redeker Acting Assistant Executive Planning Director

Delaware River Port Authority
Paul Drayton Executive Director
Marcy Feldman-Rost Director, Office of Strategic and Business Planning

Port Authority Transit Corporation
Robert G. Schwab General Manager
Joyce C. Gallagher Assistant General Manager, Operations & Planning

Federal Transit Administration, Region III
Sheldon A. Kinbar Regional Administrator
Michele A. Destra Director, Office of Planning & Program Development
John Garrity Transportation Program Specialist

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III
W. Michael McCabe Regional Administrator
Daniel Ryan Assistant to Regional Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
Jeanne Fox Regional Administrator
William J. Muszynski Deputy Regional Administrator

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Joseph A. Feola Regional Director, Southeast Regional Office
Louis Guerra Local Government Liaison

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Robert Shinn Commissioner
Lawrence Schmidt Director, Office of Program Coordination

New Jersey Office of State Planning
Herbert Simmens Director
Charles P. Newcomb Assistant Director

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Charles Nahill, Jr. Director
Ronald K. Bednar Regional Planning Director Regional Citizens Committee

REGIONAL CITIZENS COMMITTEE
Dennis Winters Chairman

DVRPC Board Members and alternates as of June 30, 1999
Members marked with an asterisk indicate members of the Executive Committee.

This publication is financed in part through grants from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey departments of transportation.