ALLENTOWN, Pa. — What would you fix with $633 million?
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is finalizing its update to the regional Transportation Improvement Program, which details project spending until 2028.
The TIP is the more tangible list of projects following the FutureLV regional transportation plan, which was updated last year and outlined $4.9 billion of expected funds for transportation projects over the next 25 years.
In the final steps of the plan, the LVPCis seeking public comment on the projects presented and is explaining its decisions to the regional community.
LVPC Transportation Planner Brian Hite on Tuesday gave a presentation on the plans to attendees of the third of three dedicated public meetings for public comment on the TIP.
It focused on three “mega projects," each costing more than $50 million, that make up about 25% of the total TIP allocation.
They are:
- Route 378 Hill to Hill Bridge rehabilitation over the Lehigh River, railways and city streets in Bethlehem ($56 million)
- Route 309 and Center Valley Parkway Interchange conversion to an interchange with a bridge crossing. A southbound onramp from the Center Valley Parkway to Route 309 will be added ($57 million)
- Route 309 and Tilghman Street interchange reconstruction and upgrade, including drainage improvements and traffic light installation at ramps ($54 million)
“It’s the only one of its design in the entire world,” Hite said of the Hill to Hill bridge.
Hite said it is in severe need of rehabilitation, and was the site of 88 crashes over five years.
He said improvements plan to create wider lanes and provide better pedestrian and bicycle access.
He said the total cost is projected at $98 million, including $56 million designated in the TIP, carrying over multiple TIP cycles.
On the other projects, Hite said the Route 309 and Center Valley Parkway intersection has been the site of more than 100 crashes in five years.
The $78.6 million project, with $57 million included in the draft TIP, will separate the roads by creating an interchange with Route 309 bridging over Center Valley Parkway.
Bike, pedestrian inclusivity
A limited number of public comments were made, but the LVPC took note and responded to concerns in the meeting.
Tinku Khanwalkar of Allentown asked how the TIP would be coordinated with Allentown’s Safe Streets for All initiative.
LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said once that plan has identified concrete projects, those could become part of the TIP, but potentially would have to be in a future cycle.
Brit Kondravy, Conservation Coordinator with the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, asked if there would be safe bike and pedestrian connections in the Route 309 and Center Valley Parkway interchange.
Bradley said details of that plan are still being worked out, and Kondravy's comment would be taken into account.
LVPC Managing Editor Matt Assad said 15 people attended a prior in-person public comment meeting, and that those comments would be available to view upon the release of the finalized plan.
Bradley said planning commissions across the country follow the same process, which is federally required.
“But they don’t do as much public engagement as we do,” Bradley said.
Public comment continuing
The LVPC will seek public comment on the current draft online or by phone until June 15.
Public comments also can be made at an LVTS Technical Committee Meeting on June 12.
A vote on the final TIP is scheduled for a Lehigh Valley Transportation Study meeting on June 27.
Afterward, the program would be submitted to the state Transportation Department and the Federal Highway Administration for anticipated approvals before going into effect on Oct. 1.
According to the document, 80% of funding for the TIP comes from the U.S. Transportation Department, with the remaining 20% from PennDOT and local sources.
The total amount — nearly $633 million — is a 31% increase from the last TIP update, which covered 2023-2026.
More information on the projects set to be pursued can be viewed here.
Staff writer Olivia Marble contributed to this report.
