ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is seeking input from the community as it works to revise the 25-year regional transportation plan included in the FutureLV comprehensive regional plan.
- The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is revising its regional transportation plan for Lehigh and Northampton counties and is seeking public input
- Digital surveys and public meetings are being held to garner opinions and priorities from residents, governments and other entities throughout the region
- The revised plan, part of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's FutureLV comprehensive regional plan, guides recommendations and strategy for growth and development in the region between municipalities
The process will evaluate the priorities of the current 25-year transportation plan with an enhanced focus on advancing equitable communities and transportation safety, according to Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, which with the state Transportation Department and Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority serves as the technical staff for the transportation study.
It also will account for infrastructure resiliency measures included in the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Public input in 'forward-thinking strategy'
As part of that process, the planning commission is seeking input from residents throughout the Lehigh Valley through a public survey and is engaged in meetings with municipal representatives throughout the region.
"The intent of the transportation update of FutureLV: The Regional Plan is to evolve and advance a forward-thinking strategy that leads to the Lehigh Valley into the future while addressing the needs of today," the announcement states.
The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, as a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, is required every four years by federal law to review its long-range transportation policy and investments, and through that process will revise the planning embedded in the existing regional plan.
The survey for the public is available both in English and Spanish and can be accessed on the planning commission website.
“As we update the $2.5 billion, 25-year Long-Range Transportation Plan, it’s critical that we understand the priorities of our community.”Becky Bradley, Lehigh Valley Transportation Study Secretary and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission executive director
“As we update the $2.5 billion, 25-year Long-Range Transportation Plan, it’s critical that we understand the priorities of our community,” said Lehigh Valley Transportation Study Secretary Becky Bradley, who is also executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
“That’s why we’ve scheduled personal meetings with all 62 municipalities and developed a survey we hope will be taken by as many Lehigh Valley residents as possible.”
The meetings with public works and other representatives will continue through the end of March, with an additional discussion at the transportation study technical committee's monthly meetings.
A Transportation Needs Assessment form also is available for review for government entities, nonprofits, businesses and other groups to submit desired transportation project ideas to the study.
The revision process will continue until September.
An ideal of being safe, connected and accessible
The current regional plan calls for a connected mixed-transportation region across Lehigh and Northampton counties with an emphasis on supporting more compact development patterns and optimizing roadway capacity.
It states that having compact walkable, bikeable and safe neighborhoods improve job accessibility and enable people to spend less time in a car, in addition to stating the need to invest in existing roads, bridges, transit lines and utilities.
"For the Lehigh Valley to reach its potential, we must design a transportation system that is welcoming to drivers, walkers and rollers — regardless of age, income or ability — and lay the groundwork for the next generation of technology and communications," the plan states.
Among other goals it seeks to support are high-frequency bus service through denser, mixed-use development in centers and along corridors as a potential precursor to future light rail service.
Traffic and transportation have been hot-button issues in the Lehigh Valley, with congestion often a concern when new developments are proposed in the region.
Data from the U.S. Transportation Department showed that from 2016 to 2020, the number of traffic fatalities in Northampton County was 1.9 times that of the average county nationwide, while and Lehigh County was even higher, at 2.4 times that of the average county.
The full FutureLV: The Regional Plan, which guides recommendations and strategy for growth and development in the region between municipalities, can be viewed on the LVPC website.
