TESTIMONY BY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS BEFORE THE SENATE AND HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES

Transcription

1 TESTIMONY BY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS BEFORE THE SENATE AND HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES ON TRANSPORTATION FUNDING ADVISORY COMMISSION S REPORT PRESENTED BY ELAM M. HERR ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 HARRISBURG, PA 4855 Woodland Drive Enola, PA I Internet: PSATS Pennsylvania Township News Telephone: (717) Fax: (717) Trustees Insurance Fund Unemployment Compensation Group Trust Telephone: (800) Fax: (717)

2 Chairman Rafferty, Chairman Geist, and members of the Senate and House Transportation Committees: Good morning. My name is Elam M. Herr, and I am the assistant executive director for the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today on behalf of the 1,455 townships in Pennsylvania represented by the Association. Townships comprise 95 percent of the commonwealth s land area and are home to more than 5.5 million Pennsylvanians nearly 44 percent of the state s population. These townships are very diverse, ranging from rural communities with fewer than 200 residents to more populated communities with populations approaching 60,000 residents. The need for increased, dedicated transportation funding for local roads and bridges is of primary importance to all townships, regardless road miles or demographics. The Commonwealth is currently facing one of its greatest and most daunting challenges: addressing its aging infrastructure while continuing to provide for adequate and reliable sources of funding for its transportation needs. It must do this while also coping with the worst economic recession the nation has faced since the Great Depression. The Pennsylvania Transportation Funding Advisory Commission was created in April and was tasked with studying the current state of funding for state and local highways, bridges, and transit systems. I served as a member of this panel, which brought together 40 experts in transportation, finance, state and local government, and other fields to address a growing gap in transportation funding of approximately $3.5 billion. Over the next decade, this deficit is anticipated to swell to $7.2 billion unless immediate action is taken. As you discuss the recommendations of the Commission s report, we ask you to keep Pennsylvania s local governments and their transportation needs in mind. The Commission, along with PSATS, believes that local and state roads and bridges and the Commonwealth s mass transit systems comprise a single transportation network for Pennsylvania s traveling public. Local roads and bridges provide our children with safe transport to school, workers with reliable access to jobs, patients with transportation to doctors, and farmers with a means to move food to consumers across the state and country. Local funding needs PSATS believes that the state must provide a predictable, reliable, and dedicated method of funding for the entire transportation system. Local governments are partners with the state in maintaining a safe and efficient surface transportation system, however the current state funding to local governments for maintenance of its 76,670 miles of local roads (compared to the 44,000 miles of state roads), more than 10,000 bridges, and 74 mass transit systems is simply inadequate. In fact, the municipal share of the Liquid 2

3 Fuels Fund is currently only 14.6 percent, while the traditional municipal share was 20 percent of this fund. Local governments spent $1.3 billion in 2010 to maintain and construct their road system, while receiving about $300 million in liquids fuels funds. An upcoming report by the Transportation Advisory Committee will document that the annual unmet need to maintain and repair local roads and bridges is estimated to be more than $2 billion. In fact, the purchasing power of local government has declined steeply in recent years as costs have skyrocketed and tax revenues have plummeted, forcing many municipalities to put road projects on hold or raise taxes. In May 2010, the Transportation Advisory Committee documented an 80 percent rise in the Composite Bid Price Index since 2003 due to increases in the price of products essential for the construction of highways and bridges, including asphalt, steel, and diesel fuel. In addition, a 2008 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision now requires municipalities to pay prevailing wage rates on nearly all paving projects, forcing many to defer badly needed maintenance or resort to less expensive (and less desirable) methods for extending the life of local roads, such as oil and chip or microsurfacing. Last year, we gathered examples of local transportation needs from across the Commonwealth, as well as municipal efforts to work in partnership with the commonwealth and other local governments to stretch our transportation dollars. This addendum is attached for review at your convenience. Transportation Funding Advisory Commission Report At the outset, the Commission decided that it was not necessary to document the need for transportation funding since earlier commissions had performed sufficient studies and analyses of this topic and appropriate references are included throughout the report. Instead, the commission focused on methods and strategies to fill the funding gap, which includes modernization, cost-cutting suggestions, and recommendations for raising new revenues. Many of the modernization recommendations are common sense reforms that will reduce PennDOT s cost of doing business, including biennial registrations, elimination of vehicle registration stickers, and forgoing safety inspections for new vehicles until the second year. Such changes would also benefit drivers with reduced costs and responsibilities. Other modernization recommendations would benefit municipalities, such as implementing LED lights at the 14,000 traffic signals in the Commonwealth and expanding authority for installing red-light-running cameras to municipalities other than Philadelphia. We support the use of public-private partnerships to more effectively leverage funding for local roads and bridges, as well as our state highway systems. Streamlining new technology approval would also help local governments, since new products are always coming to market, but cannot be used on our transportation system until approved by PennDOT. Eliminating the local cost share for ADA curb ramps would save funds that local governments simply do not have. 3

4 Innovative project management and inter-agency coordination, including increased partnering with the private sector and local governments and modifications to review processes for minor projects, could reduce costs and help implement projects more quickly. For example, PennDOT is directing its districts look at all state and local bridges within each district to identify those in need of reconstruction. The concept is to streamline the design process by combining very similar bridge projects in order to use one design and bidding process for like bridges. This would eliminate duplication of design costs and attempt to achieve savings through economies of scale from a combined bidding process. Municipalities would benefit from PennDOT s technical expertise and a shorter time frame for bringing projects to reality. While the modernization recommendation will help reduce the cost of doing business, it can only reduce, and not fill, the growing transportation funding need in the Commonwealth. The recommendations in the Commission s report do not reference raising the gas tax, leasing the Turnpike, or unreliable financial assistance from the federal government. Instead, the Commission s recommendations look to balance the needs for our transportation system with the impact on the end user. The report correctly attempts to identify funding sources for our entire transportation system. If and when fully implemented, the proposal would provide between $300 to $400 million annually in new, sorely needed funding for our local roads and bridges. We applaud this proposal as an important step forward for our communities and urge you to consider and implement its provisions. Our Association has supported a blend of revenue enhancements to fund our transportation system that are included in the report. These include realigning the cap on the oil franchise tax, tying Pennsylvania s registration fee structure to the consumer price index, and dedicating a portion of these fees for local use, to fund our state and local highway and bridge systems. We continue to support any reasonable means to streamline the approval process for transportation projects. In addition, we support the report s notion that we must determine better ways to generate funding for highways without relying on liquid fuels taxes as they have become less stable as a funding source due to increased fuel efficiency and the rise of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. The report emphasizes that any new funding method must charge users "equally based on their usage." As the report notes, Pennsylvania now collects less fuel tax revenue per mile traveled than it has at any time in the past, which has led in part to the transportation funding gap that we are facing today. Decrease unfunded mandates In addition to the report s proposal, there are several actions that the General Assembly can take that would significantly decrease the unfunded mandates that local governments must follow to maintain their transportation infrastructure, which would cost the commonwealth little, if anything, to implement. 4

5 One such action, which I am happy to say is moving in the Senate and passed the House in the spring, would increase the required advertising and bidding amount from the current $10,000 to $18,500 and include an annual cost of living increase. We ask for your continued support of this legislative package, which would benefit every local government in the state and help decrease the cost of doing business. In addition, we encourage you to consider alternatives to legal advertising, such as placing ads on a centralized Web site or reducing the amount of text required when advertising projects, that would increase the number of potential bidders and could free up hundreds of thousands of dollars statewide. Finally, we urge you to consider providing relief from the Prevailing Wage Act by, at a minimum, revising the act s criteria to return to the historical exemption for paving and similar maintenance activities. This change could save local governments more than $300 million in paving costs statewide and restore purchasing power that was lost in In closing, we ask that you remember that state and local government are partners and that we all strive to serve our mutual constituents in the most efficient and costeffective manner possible. Because the commonwealth has one interconnected, interdependent transportation system, it is absolutely essential that the funding of the entire system be taken into consideration when discussing revenue enhancements for any portion of our transportation network. We look forward to working with you on this vital issue so that both the state and local government can meet the expectations of our citizens by providing the transportation system needed to make Pennsylvania grow and prosper. Thank you for this opportunity to testify before the committee today. We will now attempt to answer any questions that you may have. 5

6 PSATS Attachment Local Impacts: Transportation Funding Needs and Examples of Successful Projects PennDOT District 1 In 2008, municipalities in District 1 spent $77.5 million on local roads and bridges, yet only received $21.5 million in liquid fuels funds. District 1 has 555 local bridges, of which 44 percent are currently posted with a weight limit. Of all local bridges in District 1, 16 percent (88) are posted at 10 tons or less and another 5.5 percent (31) are currently closed. Many of the municipalities in District 1 are located in the snow belt and some are facing major impacts from drilling in the Marcellus Shale region. Following are a few examples of transportation needs in District 1 and cases where townships have used partnerships to stretch their transportation dollars. Beaver, Crawford has a total annual budget in $200,000 and 42 miles of dirt road and 22 bridges (10 are over 20 feet long and the rest are 16 to 18 ft long). The township is located in the Commonwealth s Snow Belt and while typically the township averages around 100 inches of snow per year, the average for the last two years has been about 200 inches. A local farmer is milking 1500 cows and uses the biggest equipment that money can buy, which has totally destroyed several roads. The township has tried everywhere they can think of to try to find grants, but with no success. To make the half-mile to the farm passable for emergency vehicles would cost $20,000 and to get this road upgraded to handle the weight of the vehicles being used on this and an additional two miles of road that the farmer uses would cost at least $500,000. The township would need to hire contractors to do this work. Another major issue for Beaver Township is the drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Drillers have hit some big wells in the township. The township has tried to work with the well drillers because they do not want to deny landowners the revenue that they are making off of their properties. While most drillers have worked with the township, there have been problems. The township is in litigation with one company and while the courts keep ruling in the township s favor, the driller keeps appealing. The township s roads were probably originally built for model T fords, are not even close to sufficient for the vehicles currently traveling these roads. If the township put down four inches of gravel on all of its roads today, it would cost approximately $1.5 million and would only last for a few years. 6

7 The township has 2,700 acres of state gamelands and six miles of township roads that run through them. While the township does receive payments in-lieu-of tax for this land, it does little to offset the costs of needed road maintenance. Recently, a bridge went out on one of these roads and the estimated replacement cost was $800,000. The supervisors looked at possible alternatives and ended up replacing the bridge for $40,000 in equipment and materials while using township employees. Beaver Township has been creative in the use of its modest budget by purchasing used trucks for the Department of General Services and fixing them up. The township has a snowplowing agreement with PennDOT to perform winter maintenance on 26 miles of road and the $50,000 that the township receives for this helps greatly to offset the costs of antiskid for township roads, trucks, and labor. The township supervisors donate much of their time to help the township, including half of their labor during the winter, but feel that they are reaching the end of their rope. The township receives little in revenues from state gamelands and cannot increase property taxes in this mostly agricultural community. The township supervisors invite anyone, particularly any legislators, to visit their township and would happily provide a road tour of Beaver Township. Richmond Township, Crawford County participates in the Dirt and Gravel roads program. While the township believes the program to be very well run, it sees the drawback in the program s rejection of pavement or MC70 products as the final surface treatments to control stormwater runoff and stream bed pollution from dirt roads. The dirt and gravel road program prefers a limestone crushed gravel as the designated surface aggregate with an underlying plastic sheet to control mud and limit frost damage. The limestone mix works very well but is extremely expensive on the western side of the state. Application of the plastic sheeting and limestone installation which is put down wet and compacted has come in at $20 and more per ton. Richmond is included in the STARR Alliance of the Crawford County townships of Steuben, Troy, Athens, Randolph, and Richmond which work together to advertise jointly for as many products and services as they can, including MC70, limestone chips, pea stone, antiskid, and road signs. Townships that don t have backhoes trade trucking for backhoe work. Doing its own trucking saves the township over $3 per ton on most material and more. Pavement in Crawford County has been quoted at around $90,000 per mile and frost damage in the northwest is the most uncontrollable part of township budgets. MC70 and stone chips applied by the townships working together costs about $6,000 per mile. The surface treatment helps to stop stormwater pollution and cuts air pollution caused by dirt road traffic. MC70 generally needs reapplied every year and the cost increase is putting the product financially out of reach for rural townships. Venango Township, Erie County purchased land to mine gravel for their dirt and gravel roads, which is saving several hundred thousand dollars. 7

8 Washington Township, Erie County has had an agreement with Franklin Township to perform winter maintenance for Franklin. This arrangement has resulted in savings for both townships over the last three years and the townships are now working on an agreement to have Washington perform summer maintenance for Franklin. 8

9 PennDOT District 2 In 2008, municipalities in District 2 spent $53.9 million on local roads and bridges, yet only received $15.8 million in liquid fuels funds. Many municipalities in this region are dealing with significant amounts of heavy truck traffic associated with Marcellus Shale drilling activities. Marion Township, Centre County needs funding to install a 2-inch base coat and a 1.5-inch topcoat of blacktop on.66 of a mile on Slaughterhouse Road. The road was last blacktopped about 50 years ago and is deteriorating badly and raises a safety issue. The current cost to do this project is $75,000. Marion Township does not have a large tax base because the community wants to stay as a rural in nature. Patton Township, Centre County is a growth area and a retail destination in the Centre Region. However, the township s roadways are currently operating at full capacity and the township has recognized a substantial need to address its transportation infrastructure. Waddle Road has been identified as Patton Township s top transportation priority. Waddle Road serves as a connector route between the mixed-use, residential Toftrees development and North Atherton Street, the main business route into the Borough of State College. As development continues to occur, and multiple projects are in the planning stage or under construction, the Waddle Road interchange at Exit 71 of US 322/I-99 cannot safely or efficiently handle projected traffic volumes. The Waddle Road bridge is classified by PennDOT as functionally obsolete due to its low vertical clearance above US 322/I-99. To safely and efficiently accommodate the current and projected traffic in the area, Patton Township is undertaking a $16.9 million project to replace the current bridge with a wider structure containing four lanes and two dedicated turning lanes to access the highway ramps, as well as bike and pedestrian lanes. Also, additional lanes will be constructed on US 322/I-99 to eliminate traffic stacking on the highway. Patton Township is committed to the proposed improvements and is aggressively working to obtain a combination of federal, state, and local funding sources, including a public/private partnership with the Patton Development Company. The Waddle Road interchange is the highest priority project not on the Centre County MPO s current-four year TIP, however construction funds are not expected to be available until Chapman Twp, Clinton County has several urgent projects that it simply cannot fund. This small township of 991 people has a bridge that provides access over a railroad to the local high school and elementary school. This bridge has wearing surface problems and needs joint repair and guiderail replacement. Under current conditions, it is nearly impossible for the township to raise the $100,000 needed to properly complete this project. However, the issues with this bridge need to be addressed before the situation worsens. 9

10 Chapman Township has a road that goes from the township building to the top of a mountain. Due to its location, the road has been hit hard by the winter cycle, as well as the logging trucks traveling this road. To properly repair the road would cost about $300,000, which the township doesn t have, so the road will continue to deteriorate. The township worked with the state and county a few years ago to eliminate a county-owned bridge. A new road was constructed to provide access to the affected properties, helping to save millions that otherwise would have been used to replace the bridge. The township receives about $40,000 in liquid fuels funding annually, which is not enough to take care of critical routine maintenance on our roads. Due to lack of resources, our township has had to defer replacement of piping for many of our roads. In addition, several of our roads are taking a beating from the Marcellus Shale play. PennDOT District 3 In 2008, municipalities in PennDOT District 3 spent nearly $65 million to maintain their roadways, yet received only $21.1 million in liquid fuels funds. The municipalities in this district are particularly hard hit by the natural gas drilling activities within the Marcellus Shale region. Athens Township, Bradford County has two projects that are in dire need of funding. The first is an old railroad bridge that was turned into a one-lane bridge for vehicle traffic many years ago and now needs very expensive repairs. This bridge connects the northern portions of Sayre Borough and the northeast portion of Athens Township and the southern tier of New York state and provides access to the rail yards, which have the potential for industrial development, and the hospital s shuttle parking facilities. The bridge is used by tractor trailers and dump trucks to bypass downtown Sayre Borough. This year the township is replacing purlins under a portion of the steel deck through an Agility agreement with PennDOT and is attempting to place the bridge on the TIP program. Without a funding source, the township may be forced to close the bridge. Athens Township also has the Valley Business Park Road C project, for which the township has already raised about $3.5 million from federal, state, and ARC funds. The business park is located at Interstate 86 (New York Route 17) and PA State Route 220 and houses two manufacturing facilities, as well as a training facility for a major natural gas drilling company. About half of the business park is available for development, but has lost potential businesses because the site lacks the connector road needed to provide essential access to the site. The township is in the final design phase, but needs $2.5 million soon or the project will not move forward. Wyalusing Township, Bradford County had to remove a box culvert in the village of Camptown a few years ago because DEP determined that it was too small to handle the amount of water that is now associated with unusually heavy rain storms. In 10

11 the same storm, the township had a complete washout of a stone arch on a tributary to Wyalusing Creek. DEP required that Wyalusing perform an engineering study of the two sites, with no additional funding for engineering or the replacement of these structures. Since then, the culvert was replaced by a footbridge built by Eagle Scouts and the township replaced the stone arch with a 60 inch diameter pipe as a temporary remedy to allow access for the school bus and mail. Now Wyalusing is faced with additional maintenance costs on its roads due to the development of the Marcellus Shale. While Wyalusing is pleased with the response of the gas companies to any damage they cause, the township does indeed have additional costs. For example, one supervisor goes out everyday to check on the roads where the gas company is working. While he chooses not to be paid for my time or mileage, it would considerably increase the township s payroll if they had to hire an inspector to perform these daily inspections. In addition, it has become increasingly difficult to mow roadsides and to maintain road name signs. Wyalusing s liquid fuels allocation has decreased over the last two years and townships are very limited in the ways that they can increase our revenue. Transportation funds must be increased if townships are to maintain the level of service necessary to keep our roads in good condition for our residents. Ward Township, Tioga County has two four-foot sluice pipes that washed out during the February melt along a roadway that provides key access for emergency vehicles. DEP regulations require that the pipes be replaced with much larger, and longer, pipes that cost approximately $8,000. However, the township cannot afford to replace the pipe without neglecting other critical road maintenance needs, including the replacement of all the metal pipes in the township, and faces the prospect of closing this road. The township does have an Agility agreement for grading and snow plowing and wants to keep its roads, all of which are gravel, in sufficient condition to qualify for liquid fuels funds while dealing with truck traffic from Marcellus Shale drilling and a nearby windmill project. PennDOT District 4 In 2008, municipalities in District 4 spent $82.7 million on local roads and bridges, yet only received $20.4 million in liquid fuels funds. District 4 has 345 local bridges, of which 46 percent are currently posted with a weight limit. Of all local bridges in District 4, 15 percent (51) are posted at 10 tons or less and another 7 percent (25) are currently closed. Local officials have been squeezing as much as possible out of their transportation dollars for years. However, the combination of increasing prices, expensive mandates, and decreasing income from liquid fuels and local tax sources are driving our transportation system to a financial crisis. Local government has tightened its belt once again and is forced to defer badly needed maintenance projects, which will only serve to sharply increase the dollars needed to complete these projects in the future. Local roads are vital to not only District 4, but to the entire Commonwealth transportation network, and these local needs are just as important as in other parts of the state. 11

12 Following are a few examples of transportation needs in District 4 and cases where townships have used partnerships to stretch their transportation dollars. Fell Township, Lackawanna County has tried since 2000 to replace a one lane, 106-year old bridge that services the north end of Carbondale Industrial Park and needs $180,000 in repairs. A concrete plant located at the park plans to expand by at least 25 jobs this year. The township has about half of the needed funds needed to undertake this badly needed shovel ready project should additional funds become available. Butler Township, Luzerne County has two important roadways in need of resurfacing. The first is the five-mile Butler Township section of St. Johns Road, which serves as a major east-west connector road between State Road 93 and State Road 309. This section is in desperate need of resurfacing and the township prefers to pave the entire road surface with a finish layer or, at minimum, an application of a half-inch of micro-surfacing material. The second major roadway that needs work is about a 2-mile section of Old Turnpike Road from St Johns Road to State Route 309. This is a major connector route from Sugarloaf Township, Conygham Borough, and Butler Township to Wilkes-Barre, the county seat and major retail and entertainment area. The road is narrow with little or no shoulder areas, so it needs to be widened, regraded in sections, and then repaved in its entirety. To hold down road maintenance costs, Butler Township has entered into an intermunicipal agreement with two nearby boroughs and two other townships to establish a paving task force. Each municipality supplies manpower and various pieces of equipment. The group works together on any paving project within any one of the participating municipalities and the municipality itself only pays for paving materials. Delaware Township, Pike County is in the process of determining the extent of deterioration to a concrete bridge beam seat that was noticed at the bridge s last inspection. The extent of repair work is not yet known for this bridge, which services a large residential subdivision and a girls summer camp, nor has the township determined how it will fund this project. Liquid fuels funds are not sufficient to cover this project. Dingman Township, Pike County is beginning to fall behind on the maintenance of its roads because of the increased cost of materials and the recent Youngwood decision that requires the township to pay prevailing wages for what had previously been considered to be maintenance activities, such as resurfacing. Without an increase in liquid fuels funds, the township cannot undertake the amount of paving necessary to keep its roads resurfaced, which is about every 10 years. The township also stated that their state roads are in horrendous shape, particularly considering the amount of traffic they now support. 12

13 Damascus Township, Wayne County is one of the largest townships in the state, with 100 miles of township road and dozens of bridges, 4,000 residents, and virtually no commercial activity to help pay for transportation costs. While liquid fuels funding has decreased by 8 percent in the past two years, no road related expenses have decreased. For many years, the townships partnered with Wayne County to handle bridge inspections. The county engineer kept current in his training for bridge inspections, the county handled the paperwork and assisted with the cost. This engineer had years of experience with all of the bridges. Then PennDOT informed the county that this process could no longer be used and the townships would have to use contract engineers on the state s rotation. The county attempted to place the county engineer on the state list, however this was unsuccessful. The township now has bridge inspections completed by engineers from outside their region, whom they never see, and who do not have previous experience with these bridges. The township just receives the bridge reports and engineering bills. Damascus Township has 6 miles of dirt road along the Delaware River, a National Scenic and Recreational River, as well as additional miles of dirt road along and crossing various tributaries of the Delaware. Over 30 years ago, Trout Unlimited developed the concept for the Dirt and Gravel Road program to upgrade dirt roads along streams and rivers. This program has not had an increase in funding since that time. At best, the township can obtain a grant to improve a mile of dirt road each year. Some years, there is only funding to improve a few hundred yards. At this pace, it will take the township decades to reduce pollution from road materials into these high quality streams and rivers. Preston Township, Wayne County has a bridge that desperately needs replacing which would cost $250,000. The township has applied for grants since they can never seem to save enough extra funds for this project and raising taxes is out of the question because most of the townships residents are middle to low income and cannot afford a tax increase. In addition, the township wanted to construct a building to cover anti-skid materials, but have realized that it will never be able to raise the funds for this project. The township operates on a shoestring budget and has cut back on the use of dust palliative and road maintenance. The township also performs all equipment repairs and maintenance, as well as building repairs, with township employees if possible. Eaton Township, Wyoming County has a heavily traveled road that is only partially paved. The remaining half-mile needs paving due to the high traffic volume which makes this portion nearly impossible to properly maintain as dirt and gravel. Paving this remaining half-mile would cost $60,000, which the township does not have even though this is a high priority project. Additional transportation funding for municipalities would allow Eaton Township to complete this much needed project. Eaton Township routinely cooperates with its neighboring municipalities to stretch its transportation dollars. The township jointly purchased a mowing machine with Monroe and Northmoreland Townships, saving nearly $15,000 each. Eaton routinely 13

14 shares equipment with, and borrows equipment from, adjoining townships, including a roller, trailer, and dump trucks during the last two years. Sharing of equipment has saved Eaton about $4,000 per year. In addition, the township has informal agreements with adjoining townships to plow and cinder roads that are closer to Eaton s routes and the neighboring townships take care of portions of Eaton s roads, which saves the township about $1,000 per year. 14

15 PennDOT District 5 In 2008, municipalities in District 5 spent $166.3 million on local roads and bridges, yet only received $35 million in liquid fuels funds. Amity Township, Berks County has been working on the relocation of Tollgate Road and Nicholson Avenue since The township has spent $169,000 in engineering costs so far, and has obtained all needed permits except the PennDOT HOP and all except for one remaining right of way. The total project is expected to cost $1.4 million. SR 0662 separates SR 2057 from Nicholson Avenue (T637) and the two intersections are offset by approximately 110 feet from the centerline of Nicholson to the centerline of Tollgate (SR662). Also, a vertical curve exists on SR 662 that causes sight distance issues for vehicles turning at both intersections, which has resulted in numerous accidents as the traffic volume has increased. By moving Tollgate Road to the north, it can be realigned at a right angle directly opposite of Nicholson, eliminating the offset. To do this, the township is seeking to relocate a state road without state or federal assistance. The project will benefit the township because the intersection will be of a safer design. Realignment will benefit the surrounding light industrial/office zoned properties by creating corner lots that are more attractive to investment. Brecknock Township, Berks County has put one paving project on hold until next year because of increased costs and the reduction in liquid fuels funds, as well as uncertainty over township revenues for the remainder of the year. The low bid for this paving project was nearly $118,000 for 1.25 miles of road. There are many roads in the township that need attention and whether the funds are available to provide it is questionable at this time. Brecknock and Robeson Township have jointly purchased a road paver and asphalt zipper machine to mill and patch roads in both townships. The road crews work together using the equipment, allowing the small crews in both townships to do work that otherwise would require a contractor and a higher cost. This effort has benefited both townships. In Maidencreek Township, Berks County, the biggest issue is US 222 North and its intersection with Route 73. A 2003 PennDOT-sponsored study indicated the need for a $500 million project to complete US 222 as an expressway through northern Berks County. However, only $17 million worth of improvements at three intersections PA 73, Genesis Driver, and PA 662 have made it into the current draft TIP, with promises to look at the remaining critical intersection (Long Lane) in the hope that someday the safety and capacity needs between the intersections can be addressed with sufficient funding. The draft Reading MPO Long Range Transportation Plan Update does not contain funding to address these needs between now and

16 In Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County, the drop in liquid fuels funds has greatly decreased the township s ability to maintain its current roads, well as to take on any additional maintenance projects that might benefit the community. Heidelberg and five other municipalities in the northern Lehigh County area have for years relied on cooperative purchasing and road maintenance to save money. Road crews from the participating municipalities share equipment resources and work crews to maintain roads, as well as park and recreation areas. Heidelberg is involved in an effort to fund the Northern Lehigh Rails to Trails project, which would link this 14.2 mile trail to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Trails and to the Maiden Creek Greenway from Reading, which would benefit the entire Lehigh Valley. This trail segment would complete a 150-mile loop from the Lehigh Valley to Reading to the Schuylkill River to Philadelphia and back to the Lehigh Valley. An attempt to obtain a grant from DCNR this year failed due to lack of a local match from the four participating municipalities and the state of the economy. The match for the feasibility study would cost $30,000 and trail construction is expected to cost $1.5 million. Both public and private funds were sought during this grant attempt. Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County has two roads, Chestnut Hill Church Road and Plover Lane, that have had heavy truck traffic for the past 15 years due to a weight reduction on Spinnerstown Road Bridge. This state bridge was closed in March 2010 for reconstruction and since that time the township has had increased truck and car traffic on these roads, which are in dire need of repair and resurfacing. The estimated cost for this project is $220,000 to $260,000. However, the township is not in a position to fund these badly needed improvements. The state bridge should be open in November, which will alleviate the traffic flow, but do nothing to help repair the township s roads. North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County experienced the loss of a project that was on the local TIP after many years of effort to obtain funding for the project. On SR 0873 in the village of Neffs there is an awkward intersection with SR 0329 and Neffs Laurys Road (T731). There have been a number of accidents at this location, many of which could be blamed on driver confusion. The township began planning for this project in earnest in 1997 and 1998 and the township s traffic engineer developed an alternate intersection design in The township held public meetings and had the support of local citizens and legislators. The project appeared on the draft TIP in March 2002 and a technical proposal was presented in July The project was included in the Lehigh Valley TIP, but does not appear on the current TIP. The township feels that more attention needs to be placed on existing areas of congestion, particularly on arterial routes. Funding at the municipal level cannot provide for the improvements required to deal with what is largely pass-through traffic. 16

17 In 2004, Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County participated in developing plans for an existing multi-jurisdictional east-west corridor to improve connectivity between Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township and Route 29 in Upper Milford Township. Much of this project has been completed, and the remaining section of the route, Allen Street to Chestnut Street (Route 29) remains to be improved and signalized. Allen Street is bordered by an existing traditional grid neighborhood and design details, such as street trees, will be included to encourage use of the proposed sidewalk and keep traffic speeds in line with a residential neighborhood. This last segment will serve as an important link and enhance mobility for the mostly residential areas along it. Due to the existing land uses and barriers, such as Interstate 476, Allen Street needs to both accommodate the growing east-west traffic volume and remain part of a residential community. Traffic studies have determined that the turning movement at the Chestnut Street and Allen Street intersection will be improved as a result of the additional turn lanes and signalization proposed. Also, the signal with pedestrian push buttons and curb ramps will facilitate pedestrian mobility. The estimated cost is $1.1 million and the township has allocated $100,000 so far towards the project. Upper Milford received $211,000 in liquid fuels for Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, like many other municipalities, has a very tight budget for 2010 and, most likely, for the next several years. As a result, several road projects have not proceeded to construction as a result of the township s inability to fund the construction. Route 309 is a heavily traveled state highway that generally runs north to south through the township and approximately splits Upper Saucon in half. A very significant portion of the Route 309 traffic is pass-through traffic on its way to the Lehigh Valley or the Quakertown, North Penn, or Philadelphia areas. Congestion on Route 309 and multiple intersecting roads (particularly other state highways such as Route 378, Passer Road, and Lanark Road) is increasing. Despite the fact that these are PennDOT highways, the township has taken on the cost of designing improvements to the 309/378 intersection to reconstruct the existing shoulders and median of Route 378 in order to permit creation of an additional eastbound lane to alleviate the current traffic congestion. The estimated budget for this project is $300,000. The township has also funded the design of the Route 309/Lanark Road intersection to alleviate current traffic congestion and facilitate increased auto and bus trips to nearby schools. The estimated budget for this project is $2.9 million. Additionally, the township has paid to design drainage and widening improvements to Taylor Drive, a township-owned collector road that carries significant traffic between Route 412 in Lower Saucon Township and Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township and is expected to cost $2.5 million. These three projects are already designed and are waiting on construction funding. Upper Saucon received about $322,000 in liquid fuels funds in

18 Stroud Township, Monroe County conducted a comprehensive traffic study in April 1998, which identified 38 intersections within the township that needed various improvements, ranging from vegetation and embankment removal for sight distance, to adding lanes and turning lanes, and installing traffic signals. Of the 38 intersections studied, 34 were intersections of two state roads. Only four identified intersections involved locally owned and maintained roads. Since that time, the four locally owned intersections have been addressed using township staff and general fund money. The township borrowed funds via a general obligation note to fund major improvements at three PennDOT intersections. The township has also leveraged funds from land developers to facilitate improvements at four other PennDOT intersections included in the study. Despite the township s progress and success, 20 plus projects still need to be funded, all involving PennDOT roadways. The state and District 5 has not assisted in the township s efforts and have imposed permit and inspection fees on the projects paid for with local funds. Stroud Township also owns and maintains eight bridges, one of which was replaced in Five are structurally deficient and obsolete and need to be replaced. Because of financial constraints, the township has no immediate plans to replace any of these bridges. In addition, there are six PennDOT bridges that are structurally deficient and need to be replaced, one of which has been closed for 10 years, one of which was recently posted with weight restrictions, and one which is scheduled for replacement in Clearly a great deal of funding is needed to replace both the township and PennDOT bridges. For priority projects, the township estimates that $750,000 is needed to fund improvements to signalize three intersections on SR 447, $800,000 is needed to replace a PennDOT bridge structure on SR 2005, and $1.5 million is needed to replace two PennDOT bridges on township-owned Hallet Road. Stroud Township received $380,000 in liquid fuels funds in Lehigh Township, Northampton County did a study of 4 intersections that are in need of improvement. The township adopted a Traffic Impact Plan to work on obtaining some of the funding for these projects. The biggest problems for the township are the Cherryville intersection (Route 248 and Blue Mt Drive, both state roadways) where turn lanes should be added to alleviate congestion; however, condemnation of two corner properties would be required. This is a $1.8 million project. In addition, the intersection of Route 248 and Walnut Drive, also both state roads, needs a traffic signal due to the many serious accidents that have occurred at this location and is expected to cost about $230,000. Because of the economic downturn, the township has not been receiving impact fees, nor have they pursued the needed improvements to these intersections because of the cost. 18

19 In Palmer Township, Northampton County, the Palmer Heights area was laid out circa 1916 and is bordered by Northampton Street, Route 248, Greenwood Avenue, and Caroline Street. The housing stock in this area was built in the 1920s through the 1950s and the roads and storm sewers in the south end are in dire need of replacement. The road reconstruction work was deferred in the hope that funds could be found to first replace and upgrade the existing storm sewer system to current standards, as it is currently insufficient. In the township s Highland Park subdivision area, two projects have made vast improvements to the roads and storm systems, but reconstruction to another large section of this subdivision has yet to begin due to lack of funding. West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County is in need of funding for a bridge replacement and realignment estimated at $350,000. The project is a narrow twospan I-beam bride that has poor visibility and has been the scene of many vehicle accidents. The township has been working with PennDOT to have this bridge project included as part of the 12-year transportation improvement program. PennDOT District 6 In 2008, municipalities in District 6 spent $259 million on local roads and bridges, yet only received $77.2 million in liquid fuels funds. Lower Southampton Township, Bucks County has been unable to obtain funding for needed improvements to the Brownsville Road (SR 2043) corridor. This project would upgrade Brownsville Road from a roadway that serves primarily vehicular traffic to a roadway that encourages safe multi-modal travel and better serves the adjacent land uses. This road provides access to adjacent residential neighborhoods, retail uses, and the Trevose Regional Rail station and the proposed project would widen the roadway and add sidewalks, curbed shoulders for bike use, lighting, crosswalks, and pedestrian pushbuttons. This project would cost $3.1 million and is also supported by Bensalem Township. The township also is pursuing the Bridgetown Pike project, which originally called for widening Bristol Road at the intersection of Bridgetown Pike. However, this component of the project was dropped and the project reworked due to the cost of obtaining the right of way. This was a very meaningful improvement that would dramatically improve the traffic delays at this location. The Bristol Road Extension has been a priority project for New Britain Township, Bucks County, as well as New Britain and Chalfont Boroughs, as far back as the late 1960s, when it was proposed as part of the Route 202 Bypass. It continues to be vitally needed for the region and would enhance the 202 Parkway project. New Britain is virtually bisected by Lake Galena and the SEPTA railroad, which provides few choices for motorists traveling northeast-southwest through the community, 19

20 as most of the local roads funnel towards the heavily congested Route 202 and Route 152 intersections in Chalfont Borough. These routes are completely gridlocked everyday from 7am to 10am and again from 2:30pm to 7pm and during the noon hours, which hampers the township s ability to provide essential emergency services in a timely manner and potentially endangers residents and motorists alike. The Bristol Road Extension would give the New Britain Police Department direct access to the existing Route 202, the proposed 202 Parkway, and the entire southeastern portion of the municipality, without having to traverse the congestion at the Route 202 and 152 intersections. The Chal-Brit Regional Emergency Medical Services Building is located at the terminus of the proposed extension and, when completed, ambulance and EMT response time to Route 202 and the new Parkway will be significantly reduced, as will response times to Chalfont Borough, New Britain Borough, and the township. This project will reduce the congestion within the boroughs, benefitting motorists and reducing air pollution in the community caused by the current congestion and would enhance the local network of roadways by providing an additional throughway to ease traffic along Routes 202 and 152. Bristol Road Extension would also permit easier access to the Chalfont SEPTA rail station and provide a direct pedestrian and bicycle route, interconnecting the three municipalities with the nearby SEPTA stations and recreational facilities. While this project is currently on the DVRPC TIP, there is no funding available for this $15 million proposal. Rights of way acquisition has been completed and SEPTA is relocating the link siding, simplifying the required work. In addition, the North Wales Water Authority is looking to expand operations by linking into the Forrest Park Water Plant, located at the terminus of the proposed Extension, which would ensure water delivery to over seven municipalities in central Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Coordinated efforts between NWWA and PennDOT would benefit both entities. Doylestown Township, Bucks County would benefit from having additional funding available for transportation improvements. The township has a project with Delaware Valley College that would benefit the community, but is out of the township s reach. Because of current economic conditions, the township can t get the project added to the TIP. This project is estimated at about $840,000 and entails the realignment of Farm Lane, widening, safety improvements, and signalization of Lower State Road and Wells Road. The township believes that the anticipated opening of the new 202 Parkway in November 2011 will increase the need for the improvement more than ever since it is expected that Lower State Road will become the new main entrance to the college. Doylestown wants to see several PennDOT funded projects completed through 2011 that would impact Buckingham Township and Doylestown Borough as well. This includes a significant safety project at Pools Corner and Lower State Road Bridge. Newtown Township, Bucks County has two projects that would benefit from increased transportation funding. The Newtown/Yardley Road Improvement Project 20