What section of US 222 is being studied?
The Comprehensive Transportation Needs Analysis encompasses the section from Temple, Berks County (where US 222 and Business 222 meet), to the Lehigh County line. The study corridor is 15.5 miles long.
Why is this study necessary?
US 222 passes through many different communities: farmlands, rural areas, small towns and villages, and suburban development. Some sections have limited access, others full access. The varying land use generates different types and amounts of traffic, and the congestion along the corridor has increased to where changes are needed to accommodate present and future needs.
The Needs Analysis will identify the conditions causing congestion and safety concerns in the corridor. It will examine data on the amount of traffic and accidents that take place in the corridor. When the data is collected, engineers will analyze the existing conditions and develop recommended improvements to make US 222 a safer, more efficient part of the region's transportation infrastructure, while preserving the rural nature of the surrounding landscape.
What will this study produce?
The first part of the analysis provided a Conditions Summary, which shows the existing conditions throughout the study area. A final document will contain recommendations on how to fix the existing conditions, and estimated costs of the recommended improvements. The final report also will contain numerous charts and graphics that support the findings of the study.
When will the recommended improvements be constructed?
The study likely will recommend a number of projects to solve the corridor's problems. The county's transportation planning committe, the Reading Area Transportation Study, will consider adding the recommendations, in the form of one or more projects, to the county's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). There is no timetable for constructing the recommended improvements at this time.
Will any property be acquired to construct the recommended improvements?
Some of the recommendations may eventually require the acquisition of property. However, that step in the project development process will come after the individual projects are added to the county's Transportation Improvement Program and contracts are awarded to begin engineering. In any case, owners of land needed for transportation improvements will be notified early in the process, and fair market value will be paid for any property that is acquired.
When will the study be completed?
The study was completed in August 2003.
Will the public have input to the study?
Two public Open House meetings have given citizens an opportunity to see what the study has accomplished and provided an opportunity to ask questions or present suggestions.
Motorists who use the road also have had the opportunity to participate by filling out and returning Origin/Destination Survey cards during the data collection phase of the study. Letters and e-mail comments also have been reviewed and their contents added to the study where appropriate.
What is the cost of the study?
$600,000
Where does the money for the study come from?
This and other transportation improvement projects and studies are funded out of Pennsylvania's allotment of federal transportation funds, most of which are user fees that come from federal gasoline taxes paid at the pump. The Commonwealth also uses state gasoline taxes, plus revenues derived from motor vehicle registration and driver licensing fees to fund transportation improvements and studies. None of the money comes from the state's General Fund.