BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — Routes 22, 33 and 378 could have broader carbon reduction measures on the way in the form of nature-based stormwater management, native landscaping and more to decarbonize transportation in the surrounding area.
An “underutilized park-and-ride facility” also could become a “green multimodal transportation center,” connecting walking, biking, driving, freight and transit, if all goes to plan.
Township commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a letter from Township Manager Doug Bruce to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding its Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program.
It voiced support for the state Transportation Department and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s green transportation goals as part of the Lehigh Valley Priority Climate Action Plan for Transportation Decarbonization.
The entities are targeting $120 million in federal implementation funding for the interchange projects, according to commissioners President John Merhottien, but there's $4.6 billion on the table for projects nationwide.
'Set a precedent'
Bruce said what’s planned will “set a precedent for other regions to follow.”
“With state, county and local partners integral to implementation, this funding provides an opportunity to create a network of green transportation corridors that will also identify the region as truly green, a key component of the Lehigh Valley’s identity and a value that ranks highest in every bi-county planning public opinion poll in the last 20 years,” Bruce wrote.
“With state, county and local partners integral to implementation, this funding provides an opportunity to create a network of green transportation corridors that will also identify the region as truly green, a key component of the Lehigh Valley’s identity and a value that ranks highest in every bi-county planning public opinion poll in the last 20 years."Bethlehem Twp. Manager Doug Bruce
The work also could improve nearby quality of life, pollination, air quality, biodiversity and transportation safety, while even reducing water runoff and energy consumption, Bruce said.
Targeting transportation
LVPC got $1 million to prepare two plans, including a preliminary climate action plan that targets cutting 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the area’s footprint by the end of the decade.
“We chose transportation because that’s where we can have the biggest impact, by leveraging the transportation dollars being offered to advance climate actions,” LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said.
Following goals of cutting that particular amount of emissions, LVPC says a broader comprehensive climate action plan will come by June 2025.
“We chose transportation because that’s where we can have the biggest impact, by leveraging the transportation dollars being offered to advance climate actions.”Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley
“Hopefully everyone realizes we have the worst air in the country sometimes,” Commissioner Vice President John Gallagher said.
“And transportation from [LVPC’s] calculations I believe is 23 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector.”
LVPC’s March 2024 newsletter lists the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 69th largest region nationwide.
