Regional Technical Committee

10:00 am, July 9, 2024

Call In Phone Number: 1-346-248-7799 Meeting ID: 826 6318 1562 Passcode: 45614361

DVRPC Office
The ACP Building - 8th Floor
190 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA

For directions call (215) 592-1800

Call to Order – Chair’s Comments

DVRPC Director’s Report

Public Comments on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items

ACTION ITEMS

1. Highlights of the June 11, 2024 RTC Meeting

2. DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Actions

Ethan Fogg, DVRPC Capital Programs Coordinator, will present. The following projects require formal TIP modifications or amendments this month for the FY2023 TIP for Pennsylvania and/or FY2024 TIP for New Jersey. Attached is the Action statement (“Pink Sheet”) for the project followed by the TIP “Before/After” description page and supporting documentation, such as request letters, and maps, as needed. Towards the end of the package in a separate section are financial constraint charts and any other information that may be helpful to you as you review this package. Please note that there are also PennDOT, NJDOT, SEPTA, DVRPC local administrative and/or informational actions included for your information at the end of the packet in the “fiscal constraint charts” section.

3. Adoption of the Conformity Determination of the Amendments to the Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan and Draft FY2025 TIP for Pennsylvania

Sean Greene, DVRPC Manager of the Office of Freight and Clean Transportation, will present. DVRPC is demonstrating conformity for amendments to the Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan (Plan) and the Draft FY 2025 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Pennsylvania. This demonstration is necessitated by amendments of regionally significant projects to the Connections 2050 Plan in Pennsylvania and a new FY 2025 TIP for Pennsylvania.

4. Adoption of Amendment 3 to the Connections 2050 Plan for Greater Philadelphia

Amani Bey, DVRPC Planner, will present. DVRPC has drafted a new amendment to the Connections 2050 Plan for Greater Philadelphia, necessitated by new TIP projects, as well as major changes to the scope, funding, status, and/or timing of 26 existing Major Regional Projects. This Amendment ensures the Plan remains aligned with the regional TIPs and state programs for Pennsylvania and New Jersey, otherwise maintaining the funding status of projects in the DVRPC Board-adopted Plan.

5. Adoption of the Draft DVRPC FY2025 Pennsylvania Transportation Improvement Program and List of Recommended Changes (FY25-FY28)

Rick Murphy, DVRPC Manager of the Office of TIP Development and Maintenance, will present. A Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is required by federal law and planning regulations for the metropolitan region to be eligible to receive and spend federal transportation funds. The MPO develops the TIP in cooperation with member governments, the state Department of Transportation, and transit operators, and must provide an opportunity for public input and comment. A minimum 30-day public comment period must be conducted prior to a formal action to adopt the TIP. For the Draft DVRPC FY2025 TIP for Pennsylvania, staff will present a program overview, comments received during the public comment period, agency responses to date to the public comments, a proposed list of recommended changes to the draft program and will ask the RTC to recommend Board adoption of the Draft DVRPC FY2025 TIP for Pennsylvania with the recommended changes, the MOU for amending and modifying TIP, as well as the accompanying resolution. The Draft TIP document is available online at www.dvrpc.org/TIP/Draft and in hardcopy at various public libraries and the DVRPC office.

6. Annual Self Certification of the Regional Transportation Planning Process

Michael Boyer, DVRPC Director of Regional Planning, will present. Federal regulations require that Metropolitan Planning Organizations self-certify that the regional transportation planning process is carried out in conformance with applicable federal regulations.

7. DVRPC FY 2025 Work Program Amendment: NJDOT Unobligated PL Funds - Amendments to Existing Projects

Greg Krykewycz, DVRPC Director of Transportation Planning, will present. In Spring 2024, NJDOT engaged each of the New Jersey MPOs (DVRPC, NJTPA, SJTPO) in conversations about ways to obligate previously unallocated FHWA and FTA Metropolitan Planning (PL) funds. Following a series of iterative conversations among the three New Jersey MPOs and with NJDOT, DVRPC will receive $1,190,416 for our region, and also administer $700,000 in funds approved for SJTPO’s region, which we propose to allocate among three new projects ($1,240,416), and four existing projects and programs ($650,000). This action covers amendments to the existing projects.

8. DVRPC FY 2025 Work Program Amendment: NJDOT Unobligated PL Funds - New Projects

9. DVRPC FY 2025 Work Program Amendment: Technical Assistance Funding to Support the PA Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program

Joe Natale, DVRPC Senior Project Implementation Engineer, will present. This work program amendment will maintain funding from the PA statewide TASA program for technical assistance to build a strong, viable pipeline of TASA-eligible projects, including accelerating the completion of the Circuit and effectively managing projects post-award.

10. DVRPC FY 2025 Work Program Amendment: Bellwether District Transit & Traffic Forecasts

Keith Hartington, DVRPC Manager of the Office of Transportation Studies, will present. Hilco Redevelopment Partners is in the process of creating the Bellwether District project, which is a redevelopment of the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refinery site. DVRPC has been asked to provide transit and traffic forecasts to evaluate and improve the multimodal accessibility of the site.

11. Transportation Performance Management: Transit Assets and Transit Safety Targets

Greg Diebold, DVRPC Planning Analyst, will present. As part of the Transportation Performance Management process mandated by federal legislation, DVRPC must either develop regional transit asset management and transit safety performance measure targets or agree to support the targets adopted by the transit operators. Staff will present the 2024 transit agencies’ targets and provide an update on progress toward meeting the 2023 targets.

12. DVRPC Regional Trails Program – 2024 Grant Awards

Emily Goldstein, DVRPC Environmental Planner, will present 12 recommended Regional Trails Program awards. Regional Trails Program funding is available for planning, design, and construction of multi-use trails and adjoining pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, including trailheads, gateways, and neighborhood connections. The Regional Trails Program is supported by the William Penn Foundation.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

13. One Minute Reports

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

Old Business and New Business

14. Meeting Adjournment

The next scheduled meeting of the RTC is Tuesday, September 10, 2024, planned as a hybrid meeting.