By Brian O’Leary, Executive Director, Chester County Planning Commission
Chester County’s evolving transportation system requires an immense amount of coordination, knowledge, time, and funding amongst municipal, state, and private stakeholders. While some transportation initiatives are updated on a bi-annual basis (such as the county’s Transportation Improvement Inventory – or TII), others require additional outreach and planning.
In this article we will highlight some new, ongoing, and recently completed transportation initiatives that support the Connect goal in Chester County’s comprehensive plan, Landscapes3!
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has been working diligently on a series of projects to upgrade the Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass, or US Route 30, to improve safety, reduce congestion, accommodate planned growth, improve facility deficiencies, and improve system connectivity. The 14.5-mile bypass passes through the City of Coatesville, Downingtown Borough, as well as Caln, East Caln, Sadsbury, Valley, West Brandywine, West Caln, and West Sadsbury Townships in Chester County.
The overall initiative is made up of five separate projects, including an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), Business 30/PA 10 Project, Airport Road Project, PA 82 Project, and the Eastern Project. Currently, PennDOT is in the ‘Conceptual Design’ phase where the project team is developing and refining conceptual alternatives throughout the corridor based on public input. Construction is anticipated to begin in the mid-2020s, with each project having its own guidelines and schedule. Learn more about this initiative at us30-chesco.org.
On the funding side of things, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program (or TIP) lists the agreed upon priority transportation projects in the region. This four-year, multimodal program shows the estimated costs and schedule by project phase and is updated every other year.
DVRPC’s TIP for FY2021 in PA contains 385 projects totaling over $5.4 billion to be advanced through 2024. This includes over $582 million to address bridges in the region, with five Chester County bridges currently on the TIP and three more to be added, as well as many (if not all) of the bridges within the US 30 Bypass Eastern Section. Overall, Chester County’s funding includes $97,258,000 for FY2021, with an additional $80,898,000 for FY2022, $43,845,000 for FY2023, and $40,250,000 for FY2024.
See where it stands by visiting DVRPC’s website: dvrpc.org/tip/draft.
Another ongoing effort is the formation of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) – formed in April 2022 – which includes Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties. The newly formed Authority will serve as the primary entity to work with outside agencies such as Amtrak, SEPTA, and Norfolk Southern toward re-establishing passenger rail service between Philadelphia and Reading, including stops in Phoenixville and Pottstown.
Amtrak also launched a new bus service this past Spring (Thruway Bus Service) connecting residents in Pottstown and Reading to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia – another great steppingstone for the rail initiative.
Coatesville has seen many revitalization efforts in recent years, including the ongoing construction of the new Amtrak Train Station which broke ground in the Fall of 2021. The station is being developed to provide ADA accessibility and improve station function and amenities, while supporting station-area revitalization.
So far, the first two phases have been completed including streetscaping of Coatesville’s 3rd and 4th Avenues, which lays the groundwork for the new station. The project will cost $65 million in total and is being led by PennDOT with support from Chester County, the City of Coatesville, and the Coatesville Redevelopment Authority, with additional funding by the Federal Transit Administration. Learn more at www.planthekeystone.com/Pages/Coatesville-Station-Project.aspx.
Other recent transportation initiatives include Chester County’s Complete Streets Policy, which provides guidance for how streets may be planned, designed, and maintained to facilitate travel in a safe and convenient manner regardless of transportation mode and has currently been adopted by five municipalities; an updated list of Transportation Priority Projects (TPP) as input towards the development of the 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program; and the county’s Active Transportation Inventory (ATI).
To learn more about the various transportation initiatives in Chester County, visit chescoplanning.org/transportation/transportation.cfm.
The Chester County Planning Commission can be reached by phone at 610-344-6285, by email at [email protected], or by mail at 601 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19380. Get all the latest updates online at www.chescoplanning.org, and be sure to subscribe to our eNewsletter!