PennDOT press release from yesterday, April 20:

Governor Tom Wolf and PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian today announced funding approvals for 64 projects to improve transportation alternatives and improve public mobility and accessibility statewide, 43 of which are funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL).

“This is another example of how the bipartisan infrastructure law is quickly helping Pennsylvanians,” Governor Wolf said. “These projects will help make travel in these communities safer and healthier.

The administration has awarded $54.1 million through the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside or Set-Aside Surface Transportation Block Grant Program. Before the passage of BIL, 18 million dollars were available. The TA Set-Aside provides funding for projects and activities defined as transport alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects to improve non-driver access to transport commonality and increased mobility, community improvement activities and environmental mitigation measures. , trails that serve transportation purposes and safe routes to school projects.

“Transportation affects every aspect of our lives,” Gramian said. “We are thrilled to make so many significant improvements to Pennsylvania communities.”

The projects highlighted in green are the Circuit Trails projects and the cycling and pedestrian infrastructure projects are highlighted in blue. Considering the costs, this combined with other funding will bring nearly 2 miles of track to southeastern Pennsylvania. This will create noticeable connectivity between Lansdale Borough to the north and Hatfield Borough in Montgomery County, resulting in over 3 miles of trail.

Bucks County

• Newtown Rail Trail: Bucks County Planning Commission: $850,000 to construct a 1.7-mile extension of the Newtown Rail Trail in Northampton Township, beginning at Bristol Road and continuing along the former Corridor of the Fox Chase-Newtown SEPTA rail line to terminate at the Churchville Nature Center.

• Cycling: Township of Doylestown: $1.4 million to add a structure-mounted barrier to the shoulder of the Limekiln Road bridge over Highway 611 and provide a shared-use trail along Shady Road Retreat and Burpee Road to connect with three schools.

• Bucks County Transportation Management Association: $65,000 to improve K-8 road safety education by providing free school town halls and events with guest speakers on pedestrian safety and distracted driving. (BIL)

County of Chester

• Township of Penn: $845,000 to install a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the east side of Jenners Pond Road, from the Baltimore Pike intersection to the existing sidewalk to the south, and along Route 796 , from the signposted Shoppes at Jenners Village intersection to the existing intersection. sidewalk at the intersection of Route 796 and Baltimore Pike. (BIL)

Delaware County

• 1.2 mile shared-use trail: Township of Chadds Ford: $1 million for several improvements to crosswalks and intersections along Highway 1, and a multi-use trail parallel to Highway 1. The Multi-Use Trail will run off-road parallel to North Creek Road for the Chadds Ford Historical Society parking lot, and at the intersection of Highway 1 and South Creek Road, the trail continues south along South Creek Road. (Project design)
• Road Diet: Township of Upper Darby: $1.3 million to implement roadway and sidewalk improvements along Garrett Road, such as ADA ramps, bike lanes and a new lane pavement to support multimodal and pedestrian connectivity. (BIL)
• Township of Nether Providence: $1 million to install a 0.25 mile sidewalk along Providence Road from Mother of Providence School to East Rose Valley Road. (BIL)
• Yeadon Borough: $1 million for the West Cobbs Creek Parkway to install airstrips that improve water quality and provide traffic calming, as well as ramps and crosswalks that comply with the ADAP. A traffic light would be redesigned and a bulb installed at the W. Cobbs and MacDade intersection to improve pedestrian safety. (BIL)

Lancaster County:

• Circuit Connection: Township of Sadsbury: $1 million to construct a 3-mile segment of the Enola Low-Grade Trail on an abandoned rail corridor between Bart Township and the Chester County line. Includes grading and surfacing of a 10 foot wide stone/paved pathway with 2 foot shoulders. Existing drainage facilities will be cleaned and replaced as needed, and there will be three low-volume local road crossings and a trailhead.

Montgomery County

• Borough of Lansdale: $373,000 for the Liberty Bell Trail, a 10-foot-wide shared-use trail featuring a creek crossing that will begin near the intersection of 9th Street and Moyers Road and head north to ‘at Tremont Drive and the northern border of the borough. The 0.75 mile off-road trail will connect residential areas in northern Lansdale with Wedgewood Park and Moyers Road Fields. (BIL)

• Township of Hatfield: $910,000 for the Liberty Bell Trail, a 10-foot-wide, approximately 1,500-foot shared-use trail extending from Orvilla Road. A pavement will be provided along Orvilla Road to connect to the existing pavement at Schwab Road and Tarrington Way, and a crossing for the railway line will be provided along Orvilla Road. (BIL)

• Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association: $230,000 for My School In Motion, an interactive program teaching high school students about pedestrian and bicycle safety laws. The program includes parent and teacher engagement, resources, two major events and a walking/cycling audit program for students. (BIL)
• North Wales Borough: $770,000 to improve safety and accessibility for residents by installing pedestrian facilities along Center Street from Route 2010 (Walnut Street) to Washington Avenue and along West Street from Shearer Street at Montgomery Ave. (BIL)

philadelphia cream

• State and Rhawn: $1 million for a streetscape, sidewalk/pathway, and intersection safety upgrade project that fills a major gap in Philadelphia’s pathway and circuit network. Once complete, trail users will connect to the Pennypack Trail and East Coast Greenway, allowing safe passage from neighborhoods in Northeast Philadelphia to the East Coast National Greenway (both the completed portions and the portions that will soon be built).

• $1 million to replace painted pedestrian areas on Chestnut Street with concrete pedestrian islands to improve pedestrian safety along the corridor and extend the project area west to 63rd Street .

• $540,000 to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Navy Yard by installing the first phase of a secondary shared-use pathway along the west side of South Broad Street from FDR Park to the Navy Yard.
• $1 million for sidewalk upgrades from Logan Square to the Swann Memorial Fountain, including updating eight outdated ADA ramps and replacing approximately 18,000 square feet of deteriorated concrete sidewalks and matching granite curbs to the improved areas of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (BIL)
• $450,000 for a project coordinator for a college pedestrian and bicycle safety program, including the development of parent/guardian materials, an e-learning module on bicycle and pedestrian safety for students, creating concept design plans that create slow zones around schools, and other coordinations.

Total Circuit Trails funding: $4.53 million

Total funding for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure projects: $4.84 million