Transportation Improvement Program Excerpts

The SAFETEA-LU federal transportation legislation contains specific provisions to incorporate goods movement and economic development (or, more simply - freight) considerations in the MPO planning process. Through its long range transportation planning, TIP development, and the conduct of technical studies (e.g., Intermodal Management System and access studies), the Delaware Valley Regional planning Commission (DVRPC) has proactively sought to fulfill the federal requirement to include freight as a primary planning factor. DVRPC's goal is to serve the region's manufacturers, businesses, ports, freight railroads, truckers, air cargo interests, and developers, and to maintain the Philadelphia region as an international freight center.

At the forefront of DVRPC's freight planning program is the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force (DVGMTF). This broad-based committee provides a forum for private and public sector freight experts to interject their recommendations on regional plans and specific projects. Since there is no special funding category for freight-related projects, the input of the committee is central to assuring the advancement of eligible projects which facilitate the flow of goods and promote economic development.

Identified by the DVGMTF, projects listed in the following table illustrate a sampling of projects in the TIP that promote goods movement and economic development, and some of the benefits they provide to the freight industry. The identified projects have a direct, significant, and positive association with the flow of goods at intermodal facilities, near manufacturing, office, or commercial locations, or along strategic corridors. The projects improve intermodal connectivity, National Highway System (NHS) connector routes, operating conditions for commercial vehicles, and access to economic activity centers. The benefits of the projects can be expressed in terms of increasing safety and efficiency, spurring economic activity, creating jobs, protecting the environment and the region's quality of life, and promoting DVRPC's adopted Centers and Corridors strategy.