Do Transit solutions in Pennsylvania take too long? continued

Continuing from my prior post another reason, that appropriate solutions to traffic and transit problem are not done in a time manor or at all is the interference of Business and the local Municipality.


There have been several examples, of this in the Valley, the most resent one being the "222/100 Bypass". It is quite clear that the 222/100 bypass was intended to a true bypass in the vein of the Kutztown and Reading 222 bypasses, that had a 55 mph speed limit and limited access entrances.


What seems to have happened is both Business interests in the twps and the Municipalities themselves had a hissy fit. They were afraid this would take business away from them so they set up all types of road blocks. Until, we ended up with this blvd model road that will do nothing to relieve traffic and in 5 years will probably be just as congests at 222.


Businesses will build along this "bypass" will draw even more traffic to the area that weren't simply trying to use it as a way to bypass 222 or 100, and the road will end up looking like Rt 30 in York county, which was intended to be a bypass of the old rt 30 (PA 462) but became just as congested, because they allowed all types of malls to build up along it if we aren't careful it could end up being a second Whitehall type shopping area. Speaking of Whitehall further back the reason Rt 22 isn't any bigger is because of the Business interest. That more or less have made it impossible to widen the Highway. That unwisely built right along it and have been fighting screaming and yelling to keep the state from claiming eminent domain on their land to expand the highway for the past 20 years. Now we have a slow moving parking lot several hour of the day instead of a highway.


Then we have the special interest groups the pro-mass transit groups, the pro-existing mass transit groups and the pro-highway groups. You get the project approved then the existing mass transit starts whining for money. Such as several times, mass transit has been stalled, in the Lehigh Valley, and in most of the rest of the state because Septa keeps reaching the edge of insolvency. They start whining and the state ends up shifting all the funds from everywhere else in the state to save it. If a doesn't happen then what happens is the Mass-Transit group and the Pro-Highway expansion group fights with each other and nothing happens. Which is more or less what is happening now, in the valley, and by the time it's all sorted out we will have an even worse problem then was attempting to be solved, originally.

Do Transit solutions in Pennsylvania take too long?

The Valentine's day storm, that shut down I-78 may have shown poor planing, on Penn dot's part, but also shows another Failing in Pennsylvania. The amount of time it takes, to get both road, and other Transit projects, from the drawing board, to initial construction to final completion.


It took 30 years + to finish, the Pa portion of I-78 and, by the time, it was opened in 1989, I-78 was not the relief originally intended. In the 1950's, 1960's and even 1970's the finished product would have fit the intention of the planers, but by 1989 although not a complete failure at relieving some of the traffic from 222 and 22 it gave much less relief, than envisioned by the planners in the 1950's. Within the first 10 year of I-78 opening it had became clear, that the 4 lanes were too small for the usage. The roadway also lacks any sort of emergency exit gates between long stretches between exits, something that may have helped eliveate some the problems on Valentines day.


These problem are not simply limited to I-78 these type of problems are also happen on I-83 and I-81 in York and Cumberland counties. Where one minor accident can trap people on these road ways, in between exits for hours, at a time. An example of, this is an accident near Baltimore can tie traffic up going south all the way up to the northern Part of York county. As, well an accident in Cumberland county can tie traffic up all the way down to the southern part of York county.


The problem is essentially that these 4-lane Highways are being asked to handle the traffic of a 8 lane highway. This is understandable in the case of I-83 which was built in the 1960's . It was quite clear by the time, that the building, on the final length of I-78 was started in the 1980's. That the roadway needed to be larger ,than the 4 lanes that were plan, on most of it but by that time the old plans seem to have been set in stone, and the future was simply ignored. Therefore we have the mess today and I-78 is simply heading towards being another rte-22 and I-83.


I will continue this thought in another post later on this subject related to special interests and transit projects