Funding approved for transportation projects in county

WEST CHESTER » State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, announced that $1 million in state funding has been approved for three transportation and economic development projects in Chester County.

“These projects will bring new jobs to the Coatesville region, enhance safety and improve the flow of traffic at a key intersection in New Garden, and support significant upgrades related to the new Oxford transportation center,” said Dinniman, who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee.

The funds, which were approved today by the Commonwealth Finance Authority, are as follows:

• $114,178 for Communications Test Design, Inc. (CTDI) for an on-site access road to its planned Warehouse, Distribution, and Logistics Center Project in Sadsbury. CTDI is constructing a state-of-the-art facility to provide testing, repair and shipping of electronics equipment to service the telecommunications industry. The project is expected to create at least 150 new jobs in the Coatesville area and inject approximately $40 million in capital into the economy.

• $600,000 for New Garden Township for an intersection improvement project at Baltimore Pike and Newark Road. Currently identified by Chester County planners as the top intersection for improvement, this crossroads serves as the primary corridor for a growing agricultural industry. However, its steep topography, skewed alignment, and overall narrow width has led to chronic traffic safety issues and congestion.

• $285,822 for the Borough of Oxford to complete downtown road and pedestrian improvements in coordination with a new transportation center. Oxford plans to construct a transportation facility that will increase parking and improve public transit and multimodal circulation in the borough’s downtown. In addition to resolving parking issues, the structure is designed as a transit hub, with integrated bus station and loop road, in anticipation of expanding public transportation options for borough residents and workers.

Funding for all the projects comes through Act 89 of 2013, Pennsylvania’s Comprehensive Transportation Funding Plan, which increased transit funding and established dedicated multimodal funding for aviation, passenger rail, rail freight, port and bicycle-pedestrian projects.