RestorePA funding eyed for trail crossing
In Pennsylvania, there are more infrastructure projects than there is funding for the work. It means lower priority projects languish while waiting for the money needed to move forward.
One such project is a realignment of the Lenape Trail at French Creek State Park.
George W. McAuley Jr., PennDOT deputy secretary for highway administration, met at the park Tuesday with James Wassell, French Creek State Park operations manager, to discuss trail improvements that would involve PennDOT and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Mountain bikers and hikers on the Lenape Trail pick up speed on a little hill just before reaching Route 345. At that spot, Route 345 is curved and hilly, creating a blind spot as cars pass the trail head. It is a dangerous place for hikers and bikers.
Those headed from the trail to the parking lot on nearby Shed Road must cross Route 345 and then walk or bike on Shed Road.
Park officials would like to realign the trail, moving the cross point on Route 345 to a safer place, and then continue the trail to the parking lot, keeping hikers and bikers off the road.
No funding has been identified for this safety project.
“Restore Pennsylvania would provide funding that we don’t currently have to make enhancements like this possible,” McAuley said, adding the program would also assist communities with flood mitigation.
“Our data show that flooding is happening more often and increasingly in areas where it may not have in the past,” McAuley said. “Last year we had more than $125 million in flood and significant slide damage. We typically budget approximately $30 million for these emergencies. We hope last year was an anomaly, but we fear it is the new norm.”
Restore Pennsylvania is Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to address infrastructure needs with a severance tax on natural gas drilling. Wolf proposes $4.5 billion worth of infrastructure work over four years, but it is wishful thinking unless the Legislature passes the plan that is has already rejected multiple times.
Despite a need for more funding, PennDOT is making progress, McAuley said.
In 2018 PennDOT spent $16 million on maintenance primarily focused on secondary roadways. It has increased the use of recycled asphalt in paving mixes, reducing the cost of products to allow us to touch more miles of lowvolume roads.
“The number of statemaintained bridges in poor condition has dropped from a high of more than 6,000 in 2008 to roughly 2,800 today,” McAuley said. “But we are just scratching the surface.”
Pennsylvania’s network of roads is large and heavily traveled, McAuley said, making Restore Pennsylvania a critical need.