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Transportation Planning
Public TransitThe Planning Department publishes a Delaware County Transit Report to track the progress of public transit. Included are ridership and financial characteristics of all SEPTA bus, trolley, and railroad lines in Delaware County. In addition, capital project status and major transit-related events of the year are contained in the report.
In 1997, Delaware County Council formally requested that SEPTA restore passenger rail service on three miles of the West Chester regional rail line (the former R3) from Elwyn to Wawa. This would reduce traffic congestion on Routes 1 and 352 in Middletown Township, provide more parking spaces for train riders, and improve access to jobs in western Delaware County. In 2000, SEPTA completed a feasibility study for this service that determined that the service is feasible, would result in about 700 additional daily passenger trips and over 500 new parking spaces at two new stations, and would require a capital cost of approximately $40 million and an annual operating cost of approximately $1 million. Transportation planning staff served on the study's advisory committee. SEPTA began engineering work in 2005 and began construction in 2009, using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Completion of construction will occur when funding becomes available.
DCPD has placed a high priority on improving the speed and safety of the Media and Sharon Hill trolley lines. SEPTA, PennDOT, and Nether Providence, Springfield, and Upper Darby Townships have begun construction of crossing gates, warning lights, and traffic signals that the trolley drivers can preempt (change to green). In 2006, five trolley/street intersections on the trunk line between Beverly Boulevard and Fairfield Avenue in Upper Darby Township were outfitted with preemptible traffic signals, and platforms were relocated to improve trolley and automobile flow. In 2007, crossing gates and flashing signals were installed and began operating at seven Media line crossings between Beatty Road and Wildell Road. In February 2009, SEPTA decided to use funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to remove the crossing gates and flashing signals and replace them with traffic signals. SEPTA will also install traffic signals at Upper Darby crossings between Shadeland and Windermere Avenues. DCPD has participated in field views to discuss the improvements, made recommendations to SEPTA and PennDOT, and ensured that funding was included in the Transportation Improvement Program.
In addition to the replacement of crossing gates, SEPTA used funds from ARRA to make additional improvements to the Media - Sharon Hill trolley lines including continuous welded rail, fiber optic cable installation, and grade crossing improvements. SEPTA also introduced a number of additional improvement projects such as rehabilitation of the R2 Folcroft station and the R3 Clifton-Aldan and Morton stations. SEPTA also completed the construction of the Darby Transportation Center bus terminal with these funds.
DCPD has participated in the Darby Borough Revitalization Task Force. The major transportation issue has been the redesign of SEPTA's bus terminal, where four bus routes stop; it is across Main Street from SEPTA's trolley terminal. The bus terminal was expanded and an exit driveway built to MacDade Boulevard. Construction was completed in 2010.
In 2001, DCPD and Gannett Fleming consultants completed the Delaware County Long Range Bus Service Study. This study made recommendations for bus service that is more reflective of current commuting patterns, such as suburb-to-suburb commutes. The recommendations include ten express bus routes using I-476 running from Chester, 69th Street Terminal, and Philadelphia International Airport to King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, and Fort Washington; a reserved busway on West Chester Pike between I-476 and 69th Street Terminal; better bus route scheduling for transferring between buses at the Chester Transportation Center; a cross-county bus route between Edgmont and Philadelphia International Airport connecting with bus and rail routes; and better bus/rail coordination at many locations throughout the County. DCPD and SEPTA have been advancing some of these recommendations.
DVRPC staff completed the Mid-County Expressway I-476 Express Bus Feasibility Study in 2004. It determined that ridership between Chester City and the King of Prussia/Plymouth Meeting areas would be low without employer leadership and ridership/subsidy guarantees.
In 2007, DVRPC completed a feasibility study of a West Chester Pike busway between Lawrence Road and 69th Street Terminal in Haverford and Upper Darby Townships. The study determined that there were several obstacles to constructing a continuous reserved lane for SEPTA buses in the highway median. However, there are several locations where bus priority treatments can be made, including between Glendale and Eagle Roads and between State and Garrett Roads. Traffic signal modifications that would give priority to buses at these locations and perhaps bus “bypass” lanes should be considered. These improvements would make the bus trip quicker for riders.
In June 2011, DVRPC finished the travel simulation model of three scenarios using transit signal priority (TSP) along the West Chester Pike corridor in both Delaware and Chester Counties. These scenarios include TSP on every signal; TSP combined with moving all bus stops from the near side of intersections to the far side; and TSP combined with far side stops and a consolidation of bus stops. The model showed a time savings of approximately four (4) minutes in each direction in the best case scenario. While this time savings is small, it can help improve congestion and overall traffic flow along the corridor.
Working alongside this study, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., contracted by the Delaware County Transportation Management Association, focused their study on a detailed analysis and recommended improvements at all bus stop locations on the corridor. In addition to that, Jacobs identified potential Park & Ride locations, provided capital cost estimates for implementing a TSP system and finally provided a recommendation for a test case TSP project in Haverford and Marple Townships. Jacobs’ report only focused on the Delaware County portion of PA 3 and was also completed in June 2011.
To date, both DCPD and the Chester County Planning Commission have had discussions on how to further the TSP project in both counties, however there is currently no applicable funding streams available to implement the project. In addition to that, all signal improvements must be agreed upon by all the municipalities on the corridor as they own and maintain the signals. Delaware and Chester County, SEPTA and the DVRPC are in frequent communication about moving the project forward into implementation. The hope is a reliable funding mechanism will become available to make this corridor wide improvement in the near future.
DCPD participated in SEPTA’s feasibility study and alternatives analysis for the Route 100 Norristown High Speed Line extension to King of Prussia. The feasibility study, completed in 1998, determined that this three-mile extension would cost approximately $150 million to construct. This service would provide direct rail service to the malls and work sites in King of Prussia for residents of Upper Darby, Haverford, and Radnor Townships. An Alternatives Analysis was completed in 2006, concluding that 3,800 new rides would be taken every day and construction would cost approximately $277 million. $500,000 of federal funding was approved in 2008, which will be used for updating construction and operating costs and undertaking an environmental study. SEPTA will be hiring a consultant in 2012 to undertake this work.
SEPTA began restoring the Wayne train station building on the Paoli Thorndale regional rail line in 2003. Phase II of this project began in the spring of 2008; new handicapped accessible high-level platforms were constructed to allow quicker boarding and disembarking for all passengers. DCPD staff has provided input by attending meetings and reviewing plans. The project was completed in 2010.
In addition to SEPTA services, Delaware County residents also have the opportunity to use Community Transit, a private nonprofit transportation company. The vast majority of passengers participate in three key programs - SEPTA Customized Community Transportation (CCT) for the disabled, the Shared-Ride Program for seniors, and the Medical Assistance Transportation Program for low-income individuals with severe medical conditions.
In Transportation Planning..... |
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