The Reading Area Transportation Study announced Sept. 30 that throughout the month of October it will be accepting recommendations from the public for transportation projects to be considered for inclusion in its four-year and 25-year plans scheduled to be adopted next year.
Project recommendations may relate to:
* Safety or congestion issues on highways
* Major highway reconstruction* Repairs or replacement of bridges over 20 feet in length
* Projects to maintain or expand public transportation services
* Projects that support pedestrian and bicycle activities
Recommendations may be made by visiting the Berks County Planning Commission’s web page at www.countyofberks.com/planning and completing a survey. Recommendations will also be accepted by e-mail: planning@countyofberks.com or by mail to: Reading Area Transportation Study, 633 Court Street, FL 14, Reading, PA 19601. The deadline for submitting recommendations is Nov. 1, 2015.
The four-year (FFY 2017-2020) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is the regionally agreed upon list of priority projects required by federal transportation legislation. It lists all transportation projects in Berks County that intend to use federal funds over the next four years, along with non-federally funded projects that are regionally significant.
The (FFY 2017-2040) Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for Berks County will document the current conditions of the existing transportation system within the county, describe the trends that will impact that system over the next 20 plus years and develop a schedule of improvements to keep the system functioning effectively and efficiently.
Every two years, as part of the process to update these plans, the Berks County Planning Commission staff, acting on behalf of the Reading Area Transportation Study, solicits municipalities and the public for candidate projects to be included in the various plans. Municipalities were contacted earlier this summer.
Following receipt of the municipal and public recommendations, the planners, in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, will examine the status of existing projects and their funding needs. Candidate projects are then reviewed for appropriateness, prioritized and considered for inclusion in either the TIP or LRTP. We cannot add more projects to the plans than we have or anticipate funding available to address those needs. Draft plans will be produced and made available next Spring/Summer for further public review and comment before their adoption next July.
The Planning Commission’s web page also includes links that allow the public to see what projects are currently planned or under construction by visiting PennDOT’s PA Transportation Projects web site www.projects.penndot.gov . This information can be sorted by projects in your neighborhood, by County and by PennDOT or Legislative Districts. Additionally, a link is also provided to PennDOT’s Customer Care Center (www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/web.nsf/contactUsCCC?OpenForm) where the public can report maintenance concerns on state-owned roads.
