Introduction
Do you think we should reconfigure West Park Avenue at its intersection with North Atherton Street? How about widening the bridge on South Atherton Street over Slab Cabin Run to make the left turn lanes longer? Should Council support adding 2 lanes to University Drive from Hastings Road to Easterly Parkway? Should we plan a bike facility through downtown?
These are a few of the potential projects listed being considered for the Long Range Transportation Plan 2040 - and now is your chance to tell the Borough Council which ones you think are most important.
The Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) is developing a new Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) 2040. To comply with federal guidelines, the CCMPO must adopt the LRTP by no later than September 2010. The CCMPO is asking for candidate projects to be included in the new plan.
The table below includes projects that are on the current LRTP, potential new projects to be added, and projects that were previously submitted but were not included on the current LRTP due to fiscal constraints.
State College Borough expects funding constraints will once again limit the projects that will be included on the LRTP; however, Borough Council is encouraged to consider all projects that have merit. The CCMPO will consider projects submitted by all agencies and the final LRTP will be determined based on prioritizing projects from throughout the County.
Previously, Council has adopted a policy to recommend against any projects that add capacity to the existing transportation system in State College. Despite this recommendation, the CCMPO included several projects in State College Borough that added capacity. Council should consider whether or not this previous policy of not adding capacity should also guide the Borough’s recommendations in 2009.
The Planning Commission commented on all projects at their November 12 meeting. The Transportation Commission looked at the existing projects and the potential new projects at their November 10 meeting. The summary of their comments is also included in the table below.
Council will be reviewing the entire list and comments at its November 20, 2009 meeting and will provide direction to staff on which projects to submit to the CCMPO by the December 11 deadline. Staff will then prepare a final report for Council to review and approve at the December 7 meeting.
CRPA staff has clarified that a Project Request Form (PRF) must be completed for all projects that are to remain on or be added to the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) – 2040. The Project Request Form contains 47 questions including the estimated project cost. The following list summarizes projects already on the LRTP, potential new projects for consideration to be added and projects that were previously requested, but were not included due to Fiscal Constraints:
EXISTING PROJECTS ON THE LRTP – (PRF required for each project if to remain on LRTP)
| Item | Project Name | Location | Description | TC Comments | PC Comments |
| 1 | Park Ave (Atherton to Burrowes) | Borough | Reconfigure Intersection(Add lanes) and upgrade signal | Resubmit | Expand Project from Atherton to Bigler Priority – High |
| 2 | Park Ave Widening | Borough, College Twp | CAPACITY – Widen SR3007 (Park Ave) between I-99 and Bigler Road | Resubmit | Resubmit Priority – High |
| 3 | Intermodal Transportation Center, Phases I & II | To Be Determined | Construct a new Intermodal Transportation Center to replace Centre Regional Bus Terminal | Resubmit | Resubmit Priority - Low |
| 4 | SR 3022 University Drive Bridge (Segment 20) | Borough | Replace University Drive Bridge over East College Avenue | Resubmit | Resubmit Priority - High |
POTENTIAL NEW PROJECTS TO BE ADDED – (PRF required for project if submitted)
| Item | Project Name | Location | Description | TC Comments | PC Comments |
| 5 | Eastern Inner Loop | Borough, Ferguson Twp | Revisit a new road between University Drive and Clinton Avenue | Do Not Include | Include as New Project Priority – High |
| 6 | Re-blaze Route 26 | Borough, Ferguson Twp, Harris Twp, College Twp | Re-blaze Route 26 from downtown State College to Route 45 and Route 322 | Include as New Project but designate as Complete Engineering Traffic Study to … | Include as New Project Priority – High |
| 7 | South Atherton Bridge Widening | Borough | Widen bridge over Slab Cabin Run which will allow additional turn lane length between University Drive and Branch Road | Include as New Project | Do Not Include |
| 8 | Storm Sewer Replacement on Atherton Street | Borough, Patton Twp, Ferguson Twp, College Twp, Harris Twp | As a Betterment Project, replace storm sewer pipe which parallels Atherton Street (and any cross pipes deemed necessary) along entire length of Atherton Street | Include as New Project | Include as New Project Priority - High |
| 9 | Parkway Bike Route | Borough, Ferguson Twp | Incorporate a bicycle route on the Parkway, including any widening necessary between University Drive and the Borough/Ferguson Twp line. Work with Ferguson Twp to extend to Blue Course Drive. | Include as New Project | Include as New Project but Bundle all Bicycle projects into one. Project should be the development of a Comprehensive Regional Bicycle Plan Priority - XX |
PROJECTS PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED BUT NOT ON LRTP – (PRF must be completed for project to be considered)
| Item | Project Name | Location | Description | TC Comments | PC Comments |
| 10* | University Drive Widening | Borough, College Twp | Add 2 lanes between Hastings Road and Easterly Parkway. | Resubmit Priority – Med | |
| 11 | SR 26 North – Beaver Ave Relocation | Borough | New 2 lane road between High Street and East College Avenue | Resubmit Priority - Low | |
| 12 | University Drive Northbound entrance Ramp onto East College Avenue | Borough | Improve sight distance at the University Drive Northbound entrance ramp onto East College Avenue | Resubmit Priority - Med | |
| 13* | Blue Course Widening | Borough, Ferguson Twp | Add 2 lanes between College Avenue and Whitehall Road | Do Not Resubmit | |
| 14 | Proposed Extension of CATA fixed route service: Nittany Crosstown (Waupelani Drive area to Nittany Mall) | Borough, College Twp | |||
| 15 | East/West Bike Facility through downtown | Borough | East/West bike facility through downtown (Calder Way, College Avenue and/or Foster Avenue) | ||
| 16 | Lemont to State College Borough Bike Facility | Borough, College Twp, PSU | Bike facility from Lemont to State College Borough. Alternatives include Elmwood Ave, College Ave, Thompson Woods and the Bathgate property | ||
| 17 | Park Avenue Bike Facility | Borough, College Twp, PSU | Park Avenue bike facility from North Atherton to Fox Hollow Road | ||
| 18 | PSU North/South Bike Route | Borough, PSU | Designated North/South bike route connecting College Ave to Park Ave at McKee St. | ||
| 19 | Lemont to South Atherton Bike Facility | Borough, College Twp | Bike facility along Branch Road from Lemont to South Atherton | ||
| 20 | Pedestrian Improvement Study between College Ave and University Dr | Borough | Install crosswalks, lighting improvements and pedestrian refuge islands on Atherton Street between College Ave and University Drive | Resubmit Priority - High | |
| 21 | Railroad Avenue Bike Facility | Borough, PSU | Bike facilities along Railroad Ave from North Atherton to Corl Road | ||
| 22 | College Ave Bike Facility | Borough, PSU | Bike facility along College Ave from University Drive to Atherton St | ||
| 23 | Burrowes Road Bike Lane | Borough, PSU | Bike climbing lane on Burrowes Road | ||
| 24 | Shortlidge Road Bike Lane | Borough, PSU | Bike climbing lane on Shortlidge Road |
* Previous Council indicated these projects should not be considered further
