Freight Forward Improvement Program

Submit Form Online

The Freight Forward improvement program has been created by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to serve freight carriers, freight shippers, and the general public in the Philadelphia-Camden-Trenton region. The program serves as a clearinghouse for suggestions for small projects which can be quickly investigated and potentially implemented by the responsible transportation agencies. The program recognizes that minor improvements and maintenance projects can make freight operations more efficient and safer on highways and other facilities.

Freight movement is increasingly important to DVRPC, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania departments of transportation, and the cities and counties which make up the Delaware Valley region. In fact, federal legislation now requires that greater attention be accorded to freight operations.

Freight Forward is an umbrella program that responds to the special needs of local freight community and builds on the institutional relationships DVRPC has established with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Associations and others. The recommendations of those most intimately familiar with transportation operations (e.g., drivers and dispatchers) are strongly desired.

The Freight Forward program may have appropriate applications for the operations of trucks, trains, ships, or aircraft. Examples of candidate projects which may be suggested are:

• fix a pothole or bumpy pavement;
• install increased protection at a highway/railroad grade crossing;
• install a directional sign;
• increase turning radii;
• re-time a traffic signal;
• stripe road lanes and shoulders;
• improve drainage; and
• modify parking restrictions.

A special form has been created for individuals to submit candidate Freight Forward projects. Details which must be furnished in the project form are items such as the location of the project, the transportation need or problem at that location, and the proposed remedy and its benefits.

All submitted projects will be reviewed and acted upon by DVRPC in a timely fashion. While no guarantee of project implementation can be provided, a concerted effort will be made to fully investigate each candidate project. A committee of freight and transportation professionals will periodically review the applicability and progress of each candidate project.

Please note that projects which exceed the scale of the Freight Forward program are subject to a different implementation process. Ideas for more substantial projects (e.g., road widening) are also welcome, but it must be emphasized that financing major capital improvements is a very competitive process which will generally require far greater time to implement.

To learn more about the Freight Forward program, contact Ted Dahlburg of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (phone: 215.238.2844; e-mail: tdahlburg@dvrpc.org).

* Note: the DVRPC-Delaware Valley region includes the following counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer in New Jersey.

Submit Form Online