$155M Approved To Link I-95 And Pennsylvania Turnpike

Map of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The long-awaited, $420 million direct connection between I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike moved closer to reality Thursday, with the approval of a $155 million section of the work.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, which oversees federal and state funding for transportation projects in the Philadelphia region, agreed to separate the $155 million project to allow work to start in June.

The $155 million will pay for widening and reconstructing about four miles of the turnpike in Bristol Township where the connection with I-95 will be built. It will also pay for building three new turnpike bridges and installing the piers for the “flyover” ramps for the connection.

When the first stage of the direct connection is completed in 2018, I-95 will be rerouted onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of the connection and then onto the New Jersey Turnpike. The current I-95 north of the connection will be redesignated as I-195.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20140124__155M_approved_to_link_I-95_and_Pa__Turnpike.html#IaGkJCmaqMOSQbBg.99

After Philly’s Running Of The Santas, A Tragic Death

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HE LAST SUIT Adam Herr wore was an outward expression of the ideals he embodied – joy, generosity and love.

The last suit Adam Herr wore was a Santa Claus suit.

Herr, 24, of Lebanon, Pa., was in Philadelphia for the annual Running of the Santas on Saturday when somehow, about 10:25 p.m., he found himself in costume and on foot on Interstate 95 South near the I-676 interchange.

Motorist Augustine Bangura, 27, of Philadelphia, was also on I-95 at the same spot at the same time, State Police said. Apparently he did not see Herr or his red suit.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131209_After_Philly_s_Running_of_the_Santas__a_tragedy.html#Soa0zLfdrT4BTO5b.99

Forecasters: Nor’easter Could Disrupt Thanksgiving Travel

The logo of the United States National Weather Service. The source page states that is not an “official” version but it looks very close to the version used on NWS’s website. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Forecasters are warning of a potential nor’easter that threatens to cause havoc for Thanksgiving travelers.

The National Weather Service says a nor’easter is possible from late Tuesday through Thanksgiving day, with stormy weather most likely to hit in the mid-Atlantic from early Wednesday through early Thursday.

The storm could bring strong winds and heavy rain to much of region, with snow possible, especially in higher-elevation areas in eastern Pennsylvania and northwest New Jersey.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Forecasters_Noreaster_could_disrupt_Thanksgiving_travel.html#JLSDLitI5OjS8lDx.99

Labor Day Traffic Jams Could Be Daily Occurrence By The 2020s, Study Says

The traffic jams we can anticipate on highways like Route 22 this holiday weekend will plague American highways routinely by as soon as 2020 without increases in traffic capacity or other solutions, according to a travel-industry study.

In a report released Thursday, the U.S. Travel Association joins a growing list of engineers, contractors and other business interests, as well as federal and state agencies and officials, urging Congress and state governments to add new lanes and new highways. Long lead times for planning, design, environmental and other permitting before construction begins emphasize the need for early project starts.

“At current rates of highway-traffic growth, unless additional capacity … is created through expansion of existing infrastructure, new facilities or innovative techniques, the typical day will approach Labor Day peaks” of frustrating traffic jams, concludes the study by consultant Cambridge Systems Inc.

Though none of the interstates in the Lehigh Valley region are among the 16 segments used in the examination, the roads’ geographical diversity suggests that “together, they provide a reliable snapshot of the growing congestion on America’s highways” generally, according to U.S. Travel.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-road-congestion-labor-day-20130901,0,4247270.story#ixzz2dkwrwOsz
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Financing For Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-95 Connector Concerns Auditor General

Map of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Friday that an unusual plan to finance construction of the I-95/Pennsylvania Turnpike connection “raises alarms” and may prompt an investigation by his office.

DePasquale said he was especially interested in why an entity was created to broker the deal, in which wealthy foreign investors would lend the turnpike $200 million in exchange for possible permanent residence in the United States.

DePasquale said his office was legally bound to wait until a transaction is completed before launching an audit, so “it may be several months or longer” before he formally investigates the turnpike plan.

“I am going to follow this situation carefully,” DePasquale said.  “It raises some alarms.  I’m not taking a position that it’s wrong yet. . . . We’ll wait till the issue is ripe for an audit.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20130511_Financing_for_turnpike_I-95_connector_concerns_auditor_general.html#KbbfJ65OCH8owKzj.99

More Toll Roads Proposed By Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Evidently 422 isn’t the only local limited access highway being eyed for tolls.  The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is also looking at 476 (Blue Route), I-95 and the Schuylkill Expressway.

My thoughts…this is a bad idea.  It will congest traffic even further and push people to use surface streets and roads like 724 and Ridge Pike.

We are already paying a gasoline tax, amongst other taxes too numerous to mention.  People in this area aren’t “rich” either so where they get off thinking that is beyond me.  This greed and need to continue taxing people to death has to stop.  Let’s have some creative, outside the box thinking for a change.  This is a knee-jerk reaction that is not well thought out.

Even with EZ Pass, toll booths back up traffic.  You still have to slow down.  Getting to King of Prussia in the morning is already a hour long nightmare on most days

We should look at attracting business and industry to the population centers that already exist and substantially reduce our carbon footprint if we really care about the big picture.