Hoeffel Releases Transportation Plan at closed W. Philly bridge

By JOE HOEFFEL 2010

March 24, 2010 – At a closed-to-traffic, crumbling bridge in West Philadelphia that spans railroad tracks that carry Amtrak and SEPTA passengers to Paoli, Harrisburg and points west, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel Wednesday outlined his plan to resource, replace and reinvigorate Pennsylvania’s crumbing transportation infrastructure.
Hoeffel, at a press conference near 40th and Pennsgrove Avenue, just west of the Philadelphia Zoo, detailed a comprehensive transportation plan that he promised would create thousands of engineering and construction jobs and build a strong 21st century transportation network.
“I believe in a safe, efficient, green and sustainable transportation infrastructure,” Hoeffel said. He said he would ensure that all state and federal resources, including federal stimulus money, would be well-spent and he promised to double transportation funding in Pennsylvania.
“As an aging state with much of our infrastructure on life-support, we can afford nothing less,” Hoeffel said.
Several residents of the neighborhood surrounding the West Philadelphia bridge lamented the closed bridge and echoed sentiments that can be heard around the state where dilapidated bridges are closed.
“ For me it’s all about safety,” said resident Michael Bing. “I’m worried about the safety of children. People are crossing the bridge even though it’s closed down. I’ll be very happy if Joe Hoeffel can speed up the process of fixing roads and bridges and secure public transportation funding.”
Mother Carolyn Tart was even more direct. “I’m disgusted because the bridge has been out of order for awhile,” she said. “As a senior citizen it has been a huge inconvenience to me and my neighbors!”
Two transportation experts at the press conference saw the closed West Philadelphia bridge as a symbol of Pennsylvania’s struggle to upgrade its transportation infrastructure.
“I live in West Philly and I work in Camden, so I have a very good understanding of transportation issues specific to urban environments,” said Matt Malozi, executive vice president of Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. “I understand that it’s a matter of access – access to schools, jobs, shopping, and everything else we need to do to live productive lives. A closed bridge can represent a barrier to these things that is just as significant as any other social or economic barrier.”
Rose Marston, president of A.D. Marble, Inc. of Conshohocken, an environmental and engineering consulting firm, said, “The state of Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges represent a serious safety concern. We don’t want to see another tragedy like the bridge collapse in Minnesota.”
There were several areas of emphasis Hoeffel listed including:
repair our aging highways and bridges across the state;
improve rail and transit service and connections;
embrace multi-modal solutions and plan infrastructure on a regional basis;
develop transportation centers and corridors to strengthen connections between regions; and
establish sustainable funding sources for transportation.

“If we address these important areas with the resolve and commitment that I know Pennsylvanians have, we can improve our quality of life and make our state more competitive within the global economy,” he said.
There are several major areas Hoeffel’s plan would address. They are:

1) Highway modernization – Hoeffel will seek sustainable funding for increased highway maintenance and for long-deferred highway upgrades and expansion. “Forty-six percent of our roads are rated ‘poor’ or ‘mediocre’”, Hoeffel said. “This isn’t just an inconvenience, it puts Pennsylvania businesses at a competitive disadvantage,” Hoeffel said. “We must, and we will improve our roads and bridges.”

2) Fast-Track Bridge Repairs – “Pennsylvania cannot continue to defer maintenance on our aging bridges, like this one here in West Philadelphia, any longer, “Hoeffel said In 2008, PennDOT rated 8,000 Pennsylvania bridges on state and local roads as “structurally deficient”. Hoeffel will aggressively direct state and federal funding toward bridge repair projects.

3) Strengthen Regional Networks — Regional transportation projects need to be coordinated among local and state planners. Municipalities need to work together to plan and build stronger networks involving roads and transit for local travel and easier connections between air and rail stations. Hoeffel understands how planning agencies can improve regions, through his current service on the board of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

4) Invest In Public Transportation — Between 1990 and 2005, Pennsylvania’s population grew by 5%, while vehicle traffic grew by 26%. In 2007, motorists in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown wasted a combined 135 million hours stuck in traffic. Hoeffel said he will secure stable funding that will allow Pennsylvania’s 47 public transportation agencies to plan for growth to accommodate the growing and changing needs of each of their communities.

5) Increase Rail Service — Amtrak’s state-supported Keystone service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg has flourished since efforts to improve speed and frequency of trains. Hoeffel will work with Amtrak and Congress to secure funding for additional service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh and bus routes connecting State College to train stations in Harrisburg and Altoona.

6) Extend High-Speed Rail — The Keystone Corridor from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh is one of ten identified high-speed rail corridors in the country. “Since improvements completed in 2006, the Philadelphia to Harrisburg section has carried 14 round-trips per day at speeds up to 110mph,” Hoeffel said. “Now it’s time to start bringing that service the rest of the way across the state to provide better access between our state government and our centers of commerce.” He said he would seek federal funds for targeted for high-speed rail projects, including extending high-speed service all the way to Pittsburgh, and extend infrastructure improvements on the eastern half of the corridor.

7) Tolling Long-distance travel on I-80 – Hoeffel said I-80 is in particular need of funding, due to the abuse it takes from interstate trucking. Tolls on I-80 should affect those who put the most wear and tear on the highway and drive long distances. Tolls shouldn’t affect local residents who use I-80 for shorter distances — commuting, shopping, and visiting neighboring communities — in passenger cars. Hoeffel’s plan for tolling I-80 allows most local traffic to use I-80 toll-free.

Toll-collection gantries will be erected at roughly fifty mile intervals, and passenger cars will have a free ride through the first two gantries of any trip.” Hoeffel will use I-80 toll revenue for I-80 and other nearby highway maintenance and construction projects. These tolls will improve local transportation and create local jobs.

Hoeffel realizes that his plan will take substantial funding, but he is committed to building a network of diverse funding sources. “Revenue for transportation infrastructure should come from transportation-related sources,” he said. I will fund transportation infrastructure through diverse, sustainable and dedicated sources based largely on usage.” He said he would partner with federal, local, and private funding sources and will double state revenue in order to more than double the maintenance, repair, and construction of roads, bridges, and public transportation.

NOTE: The entire Hoeffel transportation plan can be seen at http://joehoeffel2010.com/transporation.

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