Regional Technical Committee

10:00 am, January 10, 2017

Note: Coffee will be available at 9:30 a.m. and a light lunch will be served following the meeting.

Commission Office
The ACP Building - 8th Floor
190 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA

For directions Call (215) 592-1800
Please Use Sixth Street Entrance

1. Call to Order – Chairman’s Comments

 

2. Deputy Executive Director’s Report

 

3. Public Comments on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items

 

ACTION ITEMS

4. Highlights of the Meeting of November 1, 2016

 

5. DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Actions

The dynamic nature of funding transportation improvements and the need to remain within financial constraint require amendments or modifications to the TIP. The following projects requires formal TIP Amendments or Modifications this month for the FY 2015 TIP for PA and the FY 2016 for NJ.

  1. PA17-12: Milford Square Pike Bridge (CB #252) over Unami Creek Rehabilitation, (MPMS #13376), Bucks County – Add New Project to the TIP
  2. PA 17-13: Balligomingo Road Restoration, (MPMS #107697), Montgomery County – Add New Project to the TIP
  3. PA 17-14: US 202 over Amtrak, (MPMS #95366), Chester County – Add Project Back into the TIP
  4. PA 17-15: Passyunk Avenue Drawbridge, (MPMS #62694), Philadelphia County – Add Project Back into the TIP
  5. PA 17-16: PA 100 Corridor Safety Improvements, (MPMS #80042), Chester County – Draw Funding from Line Item
  6. PA 17-17: PA 926 Bridge over Brandywine Creek, (MPMS #14327), Chester County – Cost Reduction
  7. PA 17-18: Barbadoes Street Connector Road, (MPMS #106068), Montgomery County – Breakout Construction Phase
  8. NJ16-076: Route 130, Bridge over Big Timber Creek, (DB #14426), Camden and Gloucester Counties – Add a Graduate Study and Development/Proposed Project to the TIP
  9. NJ16-077: Route 47, Bridge over Big Timber Creek, (DB #11371), Camden and Gloucester Counties – Federalize Project and Update Project Title
  10. NJ16-078: Penns Grove Secondary Siding Installation, (DB# TBD), Gloucester County – Add New Project to the TIP
  11. NJ16-083: DVRPC Pavement Preservation Line Item, (DB# X51A), Various Counties – Add New Project to the TIP

6. Fiscal Year 2017 Planning Work Program Amendments

To respond to the needs of member governments and agencies, work program changes and additions are brought to the RTC to permit the timely undertaking of technical activity.

a. Broad Street Subway Extension to Navy Yard Scope Supplement

Since project inception, several stakeholders have requested that additional alternatives be evaluated, above and beyond the original 5. This work program supplement funds the simulation of these additional scenarios.

b. Permanent Bicycle and Pedestrian Counter

Staff requests amendment of the work program and authorization to accept an $8,145 grant from the Schuylkill River Development Corporation for installation and maintenance of one additional permanent bicycle and pedestrian counter to be located on the north segment of the Bartram’s Mile Trail, part of the Schuylkill River Trail, in the City of Philadelphia.

c. Automatic Video Vehicle Classification Application

In collaboration with PennDOT, DVRPC will develop a software program that uses video recognition technology to determine a vehicle’s number of axles and their spacing. This program will automate the classification of vehicles in DVRPC’s video traffic counts, eliminating the manual effort that is now required.

d. I-95 Sector A Traffic Forecasts

This project will enable DVRPC to continue to provide PennDOT with travel modeling and traffic forecasting services along the I-95 Corridor from Vine Street to Cottman Avenue on an as needed basis. Tasks may include traffic counts and other data collection activities, as well as modeling proposed interchange configurations and travel demand during construction detours.

e. Regional Transit Priority Setting — Scoping and Concept Development (Task 1)

This overall project will include a comprehensive service gap analysis that can inform public transit improvement strategy in the DVRPC region. Task 1 will include exploratory concept development to consider and storyboard new transit forecasting tools that would be used to support subsequent work tasks, as well as additional work to set the stage for later project engagement and coordination.

f. Cobbs Creek Parkway Corridor Study (67th to 70th), City of Philadelphia

DVRPC will examine intersections along Cobbs Creek Parkway, specifically from 67th to 70th Streets, that link the Parkway to Lower Southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods. There is evidence of speeding traffic, complex intersections, high rates of pedestrian and vehicular crashes, and high rates of pedestrian activity by nearby vulnerable populations. The study will recommend the best approaches to traffic calming, pedestrian safety, transit connections, and stormwater management in FY17 and FY18.

g. Enhancing Travel and Tourism Infrastructure

The FAST Act introduced a new planning factor for MPOs to “enhance travel and tourism.” Pending or concurrent with national guidance on travel and tourism infrastructure, DVRPC will promote information sharing between the private and public sectors on transportation issues impacting travel and tourism in the region. Staff will begin by convening travel and tourism stakeholders to determine their needs in regard to transportation and accessibility, to further develop specific tasks and deliverables to be completed in FY17 and FY18.

h. Lane Reconfiguration Feasibility Study for Vine Street (Local)

In July 2016, the City of Philadelphia participated in the USDOT Every Place Counts Design Challenge, where community members, city, state, and federal agencies, local organizations, and design experts discussed opportunities for improving conditions along and around I-676. This effort will look at calming Vine Street’s local roads by specifically examining reconfiguration of Vine Street local from 5th Street to Broad Street on the north side of the I-676 Expressway cut. Phase one (FY2017) will be devoted to data collection along the corridor.

7. DVRPC Fiscal Year 2018 Work Program

The Draft Planning Work Program for FY 2018 was approved by the Board on December 7, 2016 for distribution and review, with the public comment period scheduled to close on January 11, 2017. DVRPC staff is in the process of responding to comments that have been received and are working to resolve any open issues. After Board adoption, relevant revisions will continue to be incorporated into the Work Program and the Final document will be produced. The RTC is being asked to recommend that the Board adopt the Final FY 2018 Planning Work Program, pending the resolution of any outstanding comments and issues. 

INFORMATION ITEMS

8. US DOT Review of FFY2017-2020 PA STIP

FHWA staff will present the documented Planning Finding resulting from the US DOT review of the FFY 2017-2020 PA Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). This Planning Finding is a formal action taken by the US DOT to ensure that STIPs and TIPs are developed consistent with statutory and regulatory planning provisions.

9. One Minute Reports

RTC Members and guests will be invited to provide updates on the activities of their agencies

10. Old Business and New Business

 

11. Meeting Adjournment

The next scheduled meeting of the RTC is Tuesday, February 14, 2017.

Attachments:

  1. Highlights of the November 1, 2016 RTC Meeting
  2. TIP Actions, January 2017
  3. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Broad Street Subway Extension to Navy  Yard Scope Supplement
  4. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Permanent Bicycle and Pedestrian Counter
  5. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Automatic Video Vehicle Classification Application
  6. FY17 Work Program Amendment: I-95 Sector A Traffic Forecasts
  7. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Regional Transit Priority Setting — Scoping and Concept Development (Task 1)
  8. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Cobbs Creek Parkway Corridor Study (67th to 70th), City of Philadelphia
  9. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Enhancing Travel and Tourism Infrastructure
  10. FY17 Work Program Amendment: Lane Reconfiguration Feasibility Study for Vine Street (Local)
  11. FY18 Unified Planning Work Program Memo to RTC
  12. Board highlights – December 2016
Air Quality Partnership
Annual Report
Connections 2050
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
Economic Development District