PennDOT's cadidate list for anticipated national economic stimulus plan

On Friday, January 16, 2009, PennDOT released its list of candidate highway/bridge and transit projects for the anticipated national economic stimulus plan. The stimulus plan, which has yet to be finalized, is expected to create a windfall of money to DOTs and transit agencies across the nation. While aid to deteriorating infrastructure is much needed, choosing the projects has been quite a challenge. Construction projects for economic stimulus must be ready for construction, fast. Fifty percent of the nation’s projects, approximately $30 billion worth, must be under contract 120 days after receiving funding. The fast turnaround was established to bring contracts, jobs, and money into the US economy quickly. Another stipulation of the stimulus package is that they money is “use it or lose it,” so states that position themselves well will have the opportunity to go after unused money while states that are not prepared to spend will be left behind. Commenting on the process of selecting projects, PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. said, “Our approach on highway and bridge candidate projects was based on two considerations. First, the project had to be in a position to move quickly. The thrust of the stimulus plan is to boost the economy as soon as possible. Second, we must use these anticipated additional resources to cut into the backlog of bridge, pavement and other infrastructure preservation needs we face.” As part of the candidate project list, PennDOT included projects to advance safety and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) as well as those that address traffic bottlenecks. In GVF Transportation’s service area, the candidate projects include:

$120 million for bridge pavement and reconstruction on I-476
$19 million for bridge and pavement preservation
$6 million for ADA ramp reconstruction in Montgomery County
$18 million for Chester Valley Trail Phase I
$6 million for Route 30 pavement and bridge preservation
$1.2 million for ADA ramps in Chester County.

While the number of projects is not overwhelming, the amount of money is. The I-476 bridge is by far the most costly project for the entire state. SEPTA’s economic stimulus funding is anticipated to be $ 4 million. Throughout the past several months, the agency has been diligently working to selects projects. SEPTA’s well-thought-out list of projects has focused primarily on spreading out the contracts across a variety of vendors and picking only projects they can definitely have contracts out for in 90 to 120 days. Many of the projects involve maintenance as well as improved technology and safety, which will create a more efficient SEPTA but may go largely unnoticed to the traveling public. Some of the more noteworthy projects include the Elywn-Wawa service restoration project.

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High-Speed Rail in the United States

With talk of economic stimulus funding and gas prices, some projects are getting lots of attention. The California high-speed rail is one of those projects that could come to fruition soon. Planning for the line started in 1996, and it encompasses a 800-mile network that is state-wide; the trains will be capable of speeds up to 220 mph, and the project is estimated to cost about $45 billion overall. It will help to “provide Californians a safe, convenient, affordable, and reliable alternative to driving and high gas prices; to provide good-paying jobs and improve California's economy while reducing air pollution, global warming greenhouse gases, and our dependence on foreign oil.”

California and Pennsylvania have two of the few areas in the United States designated for high-speed rail. (Pennsylvania has the Keystone Corridor, where it can operate trains above 110 mph.) Most other areas are in planning stages, and the passage of Prop 1A this past November has confirmed that California can go ahead and start construction of the project. According to the California High-Speed Rail Authority, passage of the proposition will “provide $9 billion in bond funding… and $950 million to finance capital improvements to commuter and intercity rail as well as local transit lines that will connect existing infrastructure to the high-speed train system”. The project will not be completed for a number of years, but it is a great step in a forward-thinking direction.
For more information, please visit: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/

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Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit

On January 1, 2009, qualified transportation fringe benefits [Section 132(f)] expanded to allow up to $20 per month for bicycle commuters. The Bicycle Commuter Act has been in front of Congress for seven years; it’s a simple, equitable provision that puts cyclists on the same footing as people who get tax breaks for taking transit or driving (or parking, actually) their cars to and from work. The total anticipated cost of the provision, estimated by the Joint Committee on Taxation, is a very modest $1 million per year, as compared to the $4.4 billion annual cost of parking and transit benefits. The bike provision was part of a larger Renewable Energy Tax Credit Initiatives legislation. Varying versions had passed both the House and Senate but the two houses were unable to compromise on one version.
Under the Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit, employees who bike regularly to work, which is about10 times a month, are eligible to receive $20 per month reimbursement. The IRS has not developed a formal policy for how companies should implement this benefit; such as employees providing receipts for expenses or a voucher being distributed each month, but GVF Transportation can assist with this. GVF Transportation is a not-for-profit membership organization that creates public-private partnership to bring people together and work on reducing congestion, enhancing mobility and promoting commuting alternatives.
Unfortunately, the language precludes from combining both a transit pass benefit and a bicycle commuting benefit. GVF Transportation is working closely with the League of American Bicyclist and the Federal government to rectify this for the next surface transportation reauthorization in regards to expanding access to transit.
Accor Services USA is a commuter benefit solutions that promotes the use of public transportation by providing convenient ways for employers to provide pre-tax deductions or subsidies for employee commuting expenses. Accor will have a product specifically for bicyclists called the Commuter Check for Bicycling voucher. The voucher will be available for customer’s nationwide beginning in March, exclusively through their on-line ordering platform at http://www.commutercheck.com/. The vouchers will be valid for 13 months and will have the same security features as our transit vouchers. These vouchers will be able to be used for the purchase of bicycles, bicycle accessories, maintenance, and storage. A bicycle accessory includes pumps, locks, racks, lights, and safety gear but do not include clothing and food products such as energy bars.

Contact GVF Transportation today at 610-354-8899, for more information on how to implement the Bicycle Commuter Benefit or other commuting alternatives at your business.

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Book Examines "Ins" and "Outs" of Traffic Congestion

“Why are you cutting me off? This isn’t the merge point!” “This moron is following too closely, what is he thinking?” “Where are all these people going, and why are they in my way?”
These are all questions familiar to anyone who has driven in traffic. These questions are well answered in Tom Vanderbilt’s best selling book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us). The book focuses on a topic near and dear to GVF Transportation - traffic congestion. Vanderbilt presents very complex and technical subject matter in a simple to understand format.
Vanderbilt examines how tens of thousands of ants are able to move in and out of a colony without any interruption, congestion or backups. In his comparison, he looks at the relatively small number of freeway travelers, and what prevents humans and autos from acting more like ants.
Ever wonder how all those movie stars are able to make it on time to the Academy Award Show? The author interviews Los Angeles traffic management officials to unveil how it is done. These, as well as topics such as historic human commuting patterns dating back to ancient Rome are discussed, and shed light on the distance we travel between work and home. He explores the notion of how building safer roads harbors inherently unsafe driving practices. Although the topics individually may appear dry and technical, Vanderbilt presents them in such a way as to tell a compelling story about traffic congestion.
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) should be required text for any civil and traffic engineer, as well as planners, highway and transit officials, police, highway department officials, and pretty much anyone that plans, designs, builds, maintains, and uses our roadways. It is a compelling, interesting, and at times, funny, commentary on an activity we all do daily.

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Pennsylvania Turnpike Tolls Rise 25%

At 12:01 a.m. on January 4, 2009, toll costs along the PA Turnpike rose 25%, in conjunction with Act 44, signed into law in July 2007. Under Act 44, the PA Turnpike Commission is to provide a total of $2.5 billion in transportation funding for roads, bridges, and mass transit from August 2007 to May 2010. The toll increase is only the sixth rate change in more than 68 years. As a result of this increase, projected annual gross toll revenue will rise from $619.2 million (end of fiscal year 2008) to approximately $738.4 million (projected 2010 fiscal year end). It is also the beginning of a gradual PA Turnpike toll increase of 3% every year beginning in 2010.

The PA Turnpike Commission originally had planned to implement a toll increase in January 2010. However, the transportation funding crisis in the Commonwealth spurred the passage of Act 44 over a year ago and the new toll-rate structure. The most common toll paid by passenger vehicles will go from $0.75 to $0.95, while a typical semi-truck’s tolls will rise to $7.85, up from $6.25. Turnpike officials due not expect any significant, prolonged drop-off in business, mainly due to their experience with a 42% toll hike back in 2004. While there was a short-term downturn in passenger car volume, it was more than off-set by the continued increases in commercial vehicle traffic.

PA Turnpike CEO Joseph Brimmeier pointed out that beyond 2010, the Turnpike will provide the state with $450 million per year even if I-80 is not tolled. The PA Turnpike has also adopted a 10-year, $4.6 billion capital improvement program to maintain “America’s First Superhighway”. Transportation industry experts have estimated that every $1 billion in new funding for roads and bridges results in the creation of nearly 32,000 new jobs. For more information about the toll increases or to calculate your new toll costs before a trip, click here to go to the PA Turnpike website.

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