The Connections 2050 Plan conducts a robust needs assessment for maintaining all existing road, bridge, and transit infrastructure. It also includes desired transportation investments to improve operational efficiency of existing facilities, and to expand roadway, transit, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure. The sum of all these needs is also known as the region's Vision Plan, shown as 'what we need' in the chart below.
Federal requirements mandate that the Long-Range Plan be fiscally constrained and only include projects that can be funded with reasonably anticipated revenue sources, shown as what we can afford in the chart above. Due to the gap between future needs and anticipated funding, not all identified projects in the Vision Plan are able to be included in the fiscally constrained financial plan. Major regional projects and other investments that cannot be afforded within available revenues are shown as part of the Plan's aspirational vision.
Projects that do not receive any Federal funding. They are generally carried out by toll authorities. DVRPC coordinates with the sponsoring agency on these projects, and includes them in its air quality conformity analysis. 
Roadway System Preservation projects maintain existing roadway pavement and bridge infrastructure. Needs estimates were developed using the federally required Pavement Management System and Bridge Management System databases, which track the condition of each roadway lane mile and bridge, and include needs estimates for county and local roadways and bridges that are eligible for federal aid.
Roadway Operational Improvements projects use physical changes or technology to improve the efficiency of existing facilities that are part of the NHS; have more than 25,000 vehicles per day; have more than 25,000 square feet of bridge deck area; cover more than 20 lane miles; or cost more than $10 million. Physical improvements include intersection/interchange reconstruction, new turn lanes, and roadway realignment, to improve the functionality and safety of the roadway network. Technological improvements include the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), incident management programs, or traffic signal upgrades.
Roadway System Expansion projects add capacity to the roadway network by widening, extending, or building new limited-access freeways of any length; creating a new interchange or adding missing movements between freeways and arterials; or widening, extending, or building new principal arterials for more than three lane miles. The need for major regional projects was based on the projects included in the Connections 2040 Plan, a review of recent transportation and corridor studies, and a call for projects from planning partners. All roadway system expansion projects are required to be consistent with the region’s Congestion Management Process (CMP) and are evaluated to be consistent with land use, environmental, economic development, and transportation goals.
Identified projects reflect the region's desire to be more bike and pedestrian friendly. On-road needs are based on current funding levels in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Transportation Improvement Programs, as well as additional targeted funding levels to increase the region's investment in such facilities. Off-road needs are based on completing the Circuit, a 775-mile regional trail network. About 320 miles of this system are complete, and about 65 miles are anticipated to be constructed over the next five years. Specific links of the Circuit will be funded through future iterations of the TIP.
Transit System Preservation projects represent needs for existing rail infrastructure, vehicle fleets, and stations. Regular vehicle track, signal, catenary, power substations, signals, vehicle overhaul and replacement, station renovations, and ADA accessibility needs were used to develop the need for each of these three categories using asset management data.
Transit Operational Improvements projects aim to improve the functionality of the existing system through major repairs to existing rail lines at a cost greater than $20 million; major improvements to stations with more than 5,000 daily boardings or alightings, or cost more than $20 million; procurements that replace five or more vehicles in existing rail fleets; double track or siding additons to existing passenger rail lines; or upgrades to a traditional bus route with bus rapid transit service. Types of projects include real-time information systems, signal preemption, fare modernization, and double tracking and sidings to improve service frequency. The estimated needs were developed by DVRPC and regional transit agencies.
Transit System Expansion projects include new stations on existing lines (including station parking needs), extension of existing lines, or new rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) routes that the region would like to pursue. Need for this category is based on a short list of projects developed by the long-range plan subcommittee and includes projects listed in the Connections 2035 Plan and DVRPC’s Long-Range Vision for Transit Report.
