System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit
System-wide
Impact of unprecedented growth & shifting commute patterns
Chester County has recently experienced unprecedented increases in population (1) and employment growth (2). This growth in combination with regional changes in housing and employment has transformed the commuting patterns and effectively changed the County from a “bedroom community” to a regional employment center. The result of these changes is an unprecedented strain on the County’s transportation system across all transportation modes.
Limited funding & overwhelming demand
Efforts to address the County’s transportation needs are limited by the availability of funding. While funding levels have gradually increased, the buying power has been significantly reduced by recent escalations in construction materials. The construction cost index has increased 100% since 1996. Funding levels have not kept pace with the rate of material inflation. The effect of this funding shortage has been a significant backlog of capital projects, a priority towards system-maintenance, an increased reluctance towards system or capacity expansion and an increased interest in alternative financing including roadway tolling and asset privatization.
Specific to Chester County, the Planning Commission’s 2007 Transportation Improvement Inventory identified current transportation needs at $5.7 billion; comparably, there are approximately $400 million in programmed capital improvements on the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program (3) that will directly affect Chester County over the next four years.
Infrastructure improvements needed for revitalization efforts
Transportation infrastructure improvements—in the form of roadway capacity, new bridges, and transit projects—are integral components of revitalization efforts for various urban centers throughout the County. Unfortunately, funding limitations have constrained the availability of funding for new infrastructure investment, as limited funding is being focused towards the maintenance of the existing transportation infrastructure.
Addressing the transportation implications of suburban growth
Significant development growth over the last 30 years has occurred outside of the County’s urban and villages. Unfortunately, the predominant suburban landscape is largely dependent on automobile access and contains many challenges for alternative transportation modes, including an incomplete sidewalk network, a lack of connectivity (both street and pedestrian) among neighboring land uses, and limited transit amenities. Among the transportation implications of this land pattern is: an increase in automobile usage, a limited practicality of walking and bicycling, a limited feasibility of cost-effective public transportation solutions, and an overall need of supplying mobility alternatives to those unable to drive and those who would simply prefer not to drive.
Overlapping conflicts between land use & transportation policies
The inter-related nature of land use and transportation policies, and their respective implications, has—inevitably—created a need for balance between various policies. Examples include:
- Reducing congestion vs. increasing transit usage
- Improving safety vs. reducing congestion
- Increasing capacity vs. managing outward growth and open space preservation
- Widening roadways vs. minimizing stormwater runoff
- Improving transportation mobility vs. minimizing community impacts
- Providing additional capacity vs. reducing vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and air pollution
- Accommodating suburban land use vs. promoting alternative transportation modes
(1) From 2000 to 2006, County population increased by nearly 49,000.
(2) From 1997 to 2005, Chester County’s employment grew by 21%. 1997 – 256,004 jobs; 2005 – 311,877 jobs. Comparatively, Southeastern PA grew by 6.7%, Pennsylvania by 7.1% (Source: BEA).
(3) DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program
Printable version of ALL issues (PDF, 83 KB)
System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit