Why Plan for the Future?

Over the past year the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission has been working with consultant McCormick Taylor to develop a Master Plan for the US 422 Corridor. The plan is evaluating options for changes to land use practices, transportation infrastructure investments, and potential funding mechanisms for constructing the recommendations. Paramount in the plan is a need for change. By all definitions, the US 422 corridor is growing, and that growth is not expected to slow down through the year 2030, which is the outlook the plan is taking.
The US 422 Master Plan encompasses three counties (Berks, Chester, Montgomery) and includes twenty-four municipalities. The corridor extends approximately 25 miles and begins in King of Prussia and terminates with the end of the freeway in Amity and Union Townships in Berks County. The spine of the corridor is US 422, which is in dire need of improvements throughout the corridor. The corridor is underserved by transit, and its parallel routes, Ridge Pike in Montgomery County and PA 724/PA 23 in Chester County, have been experiencing growing congestion year after year. The corridor is continuing to grow, each year more businesses are established in the corridor, and more homes are being built.
Why plan? The growth that has occurred over the past decades has left the corridor with crumbling roads, sprawling subdivisions, daily traffic congestion, and little sense of place or community. If this pattern continues, the problems of the corridor are going to get worse, not better. The US 422 Master Plan will provide guidance for the corridor municipalities so that the decisions made today produce a desirable outcome tomorrow. The Master Plan also evaluated the needs of the corridor, and prioritizes them so that when decisions on infrastructure are made, the right improvement is built. The purpose of the plan is solely to provide guidance and direction. The plan is not a policy, or a mandate, but a set of recommendations. The municipalities in the corridor are at their own free will to adhere to the recommendations and experience the benefits of doing so, or the consequences of taking a divergent path.
What will the corridor look like in thirty years? Does it retain the spacious open fields, foster vibrant downtown life, provide reliable and frequent public transportation, offer recreational opportunities, and promote a pedestrian and bicycle friendly environment? If the recommendations of the plan are followed through with, that vision should not be far from reality. The heart of the plan is change, and change for the better. At the current rate of development the open and available land in the corridor will be nothing more than tract upon tract of uniform residential development with a big box store located on the major arterials. The existing downtowns such as Pottstown will continue to decline along with the beautiful countryside surrounding them. We will be left with little open space, and the open space available will be that which could not be developed. Traffic will grow by an estimated 13% choking off the region and pushing industry, and jobs elsewhere. Commute times will be unbearable, and the quality of life will suffer.
The corridor does not have to look like that, and it can be the premier place to live, work, shop, and play, not only in Greater Philadelphia, but in the entire region. The nexus of change is now. In brief, the plan is recommending the opposite of the trend scenario you just read about. The central theme throughout is a shift in direction, to a more sustainable direction. The plan recommends extending passenger commuter rail throughout the corridor. Expanding commuter rail will only be successful if the towns surrounding the station support a vibrant and diverse lifestyle. These towns will foster small businesses, provide a multitude of housing options, and create jobs in the community to keep people local. Public transportation isn’t the only way around, the plan recommends improving our roadways, but not just for cars. Complete streets is a movement in which a roadway is designed for all users, allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to not only feel safe, but welcome. This kind of improvement not only reduces congestion, it also improves the air, and the visual appeal of a place. Of course not everyone can take public transit or walk/bike to their destination, so improvements to the highway network are needed to move cars more efficiently. The plan will effectively allow for more growth than the current pattern while reducing congestion, creating new opportunities, maintaining open space, and improving the environment.
The US 422 Master Plan is just the beginning in a long process of growing the US 422 corridor into a desirable place to live, work, shop, and play. The plan creates the vision and direction for the corridor. If the businesses, developers, and residents of the corridor want nothing to happen, then simply do nothing. Stagnation and decline are easy goals to accomplish because it only requires inaction. Making the vision of the Master Plan a reality requires some risk, hard work, and the desire to change course. If you want to see the entirety of the plan, please visit www.422coalition.com/422plan.htm.
Shayne Trimbell works as a project manager with GVF Transportation. To reach Shayne by email: strimbell@gvftma.com, or by phone: (610)322-9951.