Volume 43, Issue 4
DVRPC Board Adopts Connections 2050
DVRPC Board adopted the Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan (LRP) at its September 23, 2021 meeting. This policy document enables the region to receive over a billion dollars annually in federal transportation funding. It was developed with input and support from residents, regional planning partners, DVRPC’s working committees, and stakeholder groups.
The LRP outlines a vision for the region’s growth and preservation and a fiscally constrained financial plan for funding transportation infrastructure. The Plan recognizes that how the region develops and where we choose to live or work impacts how we travel. Therefore the Plan promotes future development and redevelopment occurring in more than 135 identified Plan centers in order to reduce sprawl, preserve open space, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage people to take transit, bike, and walk.
The Connections 2050 documents are available at www.dvrpc.org/plan.
FY2022 Transportation Improvement Program for New Jersey Adopted
The DVRPC Board voted to adopt the FY2022 Transportation Improvement Program for New Jersey at its September meeting.
The FY2022 TIP for NJ represents the region's federally funded transportation improvement priorities. It includes 140 highway and transit projects and represents over $2.1 billion of transportation infrastructure investment in the counties of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer.
The TIP document and more information are available at: www.dvrpc.org/TIP/Draft. Learn more about the TIP.
Goods Movement Task Force is October 13
Attend the online October Goods Movement Task Force meeting on October 13th! We will be hearing an overview of WILMAPCO/DelDOT's recent Statewide Truck Parking Study as well as an update on the redevelopment plans for the former US Steel Fairless Works site in Falls Township, Bucks County into a new e-commerce, logistics, and multi-model industrial center.
Presentations include:
Delaware Statewide Truck Parking Study and First/Final Mile Freight Network Development
Dan Blevins, Principal Transportation Planner, WILMPACO
NorthPoint Redevelopment of former US Steel Site
Dennis Jones, Site Director, NorthPoint Development
Register for the meeting here.
DVRPC Study Examines Corridors for Potential SEPTA Direct Bus Service
Four years ago, SEPTA launched a new travel option along Roosevelt Boulevard: Direct Bus, which combines frequent service and fewer stops with improved shelters, seating, and signage for riders.
Flash forward to today and SEPTA is beginning its Bus Revolution—a redesign of its entire bus network. As part of that effort, the agency is considering expanding Direct Bus service to elsewhere in Greater Philadelphia.
In this study, DVRPC staff worked with SEPTA and regional partners to examine fifteen corridors across Southeast Pennsylvania for potential Direct Bus service, evaluating them based on three different scoring schemes. Overall, the study found that corridors with high population and job density were most likely to be successful.
These high-scoring corridors (such as Rising Sun and Ogontz Avenues; and Erie and Torresdale Avenues) generally serve Philadelphia and its innermost suburbs. The most promising corridors also had connections to the Market-Frankford Line or the Broad Street Line, demonstrating the importance of linking to transportation centers with multiple transfer opportunities.
Read the report and see the full list of evaluated Direct Bus corridors on DVRPC’s website.
Learn About Flood Risk and Resilience with Penn’s Wharton Risk Center
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Risk Center has produced a two-episode podcast series on flood risk and resilience in collaboration with the America Adapts climate podcast as part of a grant from DVRPC through Pennsylvania’s Coastal Resources Management Program.
The podcast series focuses on the mid-Atlantic region and Philadelphia in particular—an area that attracted national attention after the devastating flooding from Hurricane Ida in September. Experts at Penn, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Philadelphia Water Department, and others discuss how communities can adapt to increasing flood risk as climate change continues to escalate.
The podcast series is part of a larger project at the Wharton Risk Center to produce educational materials for municipalities about flood risk and flood insurance.
Listen to Episode 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or online!
Recent Publications and Products
Trolley Modernization Route 11 and Route 13: Delaware County Alternatives – In the context of SEPTA’s Trolley Modernization project, this report evaluates the existing limited service to Darby Transportation Center on Trolley Route 13 in Delaware County.
Immigration in Greater Philadelphia: FY 2021 Update – Between 2010 and 2018, Greater Philadelphia’s population has grown and become more diverse. This snapshot uses Census Bureau estimates to examine the region’s immigrant population over this period, including household income, occupation, and residence within the region.
Lessons Learned from DVRPC's Regional Streetlight Procurement Program – Since 2015, DVRPC has led the Regional Streetlight Procurement program for small- and medium-sized municipalities in southeast Pennsylvania to jointly convert their street lighting to LEDs to reduce energy consumption and provide better lighting quality. How can best practices from the program be applied to similar aggregated procurement initiatives?
Upcoming Online LTAP Classes
The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) provides technical information and expertise to help municipal governments use transportation funds more effectively, improve road maintenance, and increase roadway safety. Classes are held by Pennsylvania and New Jersey LTAP programs, but are open to any municipality.
Upcoming online classes:
Traffic Incident Management Training for Emergency Responders
October 14, 2021 (8:00 am – 12:00 pm)
Asphalt Roads Common Maintenance Problems
October 19, 2021 (8:00 am – 12:00 pm)
Visit Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation to see the 2020 schedule of LTAP courses in New Jersey.
Visit PennDOT's LTAP website to view the course descriptions and register. For any questions, contact Linda McNeffer at lmcneffer@dvrpc.org or 215-238-2872.
DVRPC maintains a calendar of events, workshops, and conferences hosted by our partners and related to planning for Greater Philadelphia. Visit our Partner Calendar to learn more.