Regional Technical Committee

Regional Technical Committee

10:00 am, April 11, 2023

ONLINE ONLY

1. Call to Order – Chair’s Comments 

2. Deputy Executive Director’s Report 

3. Public Comments on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items 

ACTION ITEMS 

4. Highlights of the March 7, 2023 RTC Meeting 

5. DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Actions 

Rick Murphy, Manager, Office of TIP Development and Maintenance, will present. The dynamic nature of funding transportation improvements and the need to remain within financial constraint require amendments or modifications to the TIP on a regular basis. The following projects require formal TIP modifications or amendments this month for the FY2022 TIP for New Jersey and/or the FY2023 TIP for Pennsylvania. 

     a. NJ22-116: Route 295/42/I-76, Direct Connection, Contract 4 (DB #355E), Camden County – Delay and Increase CON Phase

     b. PA23-35: Fleecy Dale Road Reconstruction (MPMS #118425), Bucks County – Add New Project into the TIP

     c. PA23-36: Statewide Multimodal Transportation Fund Projects (Various MPMS #s), Various Counties – Accept New Projects into TIP

    d. PA23-37: Downingtown Train Station Rehabilitation (MPMS #93586), PennDOT – Reduce Funding in the TIP

   e. PA23-38: SEPTA Bus Purchase Program (MPMS #90512), SEPTA – Increase Funding to Program

   f. PA23-39: Vehicle Overhaul Program (MPMS #60582), SEPTA – Decrease Funding to Program

   g. PA23-40: Substations and Power Improvements (MPMS #60651), SEPTA – Increase Funding to Program

h. PA23-41: I-95, PA Turnpike Interchange, Stage 2 (MPMS #TBD), Bucks County – Add New Project into the TIP

6.  Proposed Federal Functional Classification and NHS Intermodal Connector changes in Bucks County:

Brad Lane, DVRPC Principal Transportation Engineer, will present. 

1. Downgrading South Pennsylvania Avenue between US 1 and Tyburn Road from a Minor Arterial to a Major Collector, removing the Intermodal Connector designation, and removing from NHS
2. Downgrading Philadelphia Avenue between South Pennsylvania Ave and Tyburn Road from a Minor Arterial to a Major Collector
3. Upgrading Tyburn Road between South Pennsylvania Avenue and US 13 from a Minor Arterial to a Principal Arterial, adding the road to NHS, and adding the Intermodal Connector designation

7. DVRPC FY 2023 Work Program Amendment: Regional Vision Zero 2050 Action Program

Kevin Murphy, DVRPC Manager, Office of Safe Streets, will present. In February of 2023 DVRPC was awarded a federal grant from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program, established as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The SS4A is a 5 year, $5 billion program offering approximately $1 billion per year to regional, local, and Tribal entities through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Awards can be used to develop a safety action plan, or implement priorities from a qualifying safety action plan. SS4A supports Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and the Department’s goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways.

BRIEF REPORT

8. Update on the Regional Sidewalk Development Program

Cassidy Boulan, Assistant Manager, Bicycle Programs, will present agency efforts over the last two years to identify issues that hamper the maintenance of the existing sidewalk network in the region and the expansion of the network by building new sidewalks and closing important gaps. The presentation will conclude with information about an upcoming event, funding DVRPC is pursuing and other opportunities for planning partners to work together to improve conditions for walking in the region. 

PRESENTATION ITEMS 

9. Block by Block -Building a Case for Transit priority on Philadelphia neighborhood streets

Joanna Hecht, DVRPC Transportation Planner, and Andrew Simpson, Complete Streets District Manager, Office of Complete Streets, OTIS, will present. The Philadelphia City Transit Plan provides a framework for prioritizing transit on City streets. Since it was launched in 2021, DVRPC and OTIS have worked together to implement ideas from this plan. This fiscal year, DVRPC collected data on the specific causes of delay that are impacting bus routes on high-priority corridors. OTIS will use this micro-analysis to propose transit improvements that are consistent with the City Transit Plan and that will mitigate the most severe causes of delay.

ACTION ITEMS 

10. IIJA Update 

An update on IIJA funding opportunities and coordination activities will be provided.

11. One Minute Reports

RTC Members and guests will be invited to provide updates on the activities of their agencies.

OLD BUSINESS AND NEW BUSINESS

12. Meeting Adjournment

The next scheduled meeting of the RTC is Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Title VI Statement

In effect as of January 30, 2025

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, all programs and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or income level, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination mandates.

DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities and in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. DVRPC will work to accommodate all reasonable requests for translation, interpretation, accommodations or other auxiliary services and encourages that requests be made at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Requests can be made by contacting the Commission’s ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org, calling (215) 592-1800, or while registering for an upcoming meeting.

Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of DVRPC is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Shoshana Akins as well. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.