Planning the future of the US 422 Corridor
How should we fund the needed improvements?
Given the fiscal constraints of infrastructure funding, which option makes the most sense for the US 422 Corridor?
Tolling: Tolling allows money to be raised in the corridor by the corridor commuters. The money will not be spent elsewhere in the state, and in fact is mandated to remain locally to make improvements to the corridor. The corridor is able to completely control how much is raised, how much is spent, and what it is spent on.
Raise the PA Gas Tax: Currently, state funding for transportation is provided through a $0.32 tax on a gallon of gasoline. The gas tax would have to be raised by a minimum of 100% to begin to fund the backlog of projects. Raising the gas tax does not ensure the money will be spent on the US 422 Corridor, given the infrastructure needs of the region and state.
Vehicle Miles Tax: A vehicle miles tax assesses a predetermined rate per mile driven. The state would assess a tax based upon the total miles driven during a year. Those that drive more, pay more. This strategy, much like raising the gas tax, does not ensure that state transportation dollars will be spent in the US 422 Corridor.
Do Nothing: Doing nothing will ensure that drivers are not required to pay additional fees. The implications of doing nothing include: continual degradation of our roadways, increasing congestion and traffic, limited transit options, declining economic competitiveness, and a general decline in the quality of life for residents, workers, and business owners
The US 422 Master Plan is the blueprint for addressing the needs of the corridor. The recommendations take a progressive approach to solving the problems created by poor planning decisions made in the past. The corridor has the option to control its destiny, which option works best for you?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Howard on -
If we want to see the US 422 Corridor grow, funding for these crucial infrastructure projects is critical. I have, out of interest, been doing research on the state of our infrastructure, and it is scary. If anyone caught the History Channel special "The Crumbling of America" you would know that we are in dire straights. It seems that the problem is that our government did a great job at building the infrastructure, but is falling short on maintaining or improving it.
As much as it pains me to think that we are going to have to pay more to use our roads, I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. I am in favor of tolling, for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is that, because of laws and statutes in place, the toll money raised will have to be spent in our corridor. What a fantastic concept! The more we, as residents, drive on the road, the more money we will have to make it more efficient.
For people that say we should let the government pay for this, I ask you a simple question, are you relying on Social Security for your retirement plan? If we think of tolling not as an additional tax, but as an investment in our prosperity, perhaps it starts to make sense. I, like most Americans, pay a social security tax out of my paycheck each month. This money will eventually be returned to me when I retire. I can't control how much is returned, or if it is at all. The hope is that I will be able to collect something. Think of the current gas tax as the same kind of contribution. Now, as part of my paycheck, a small percentage is taken out and placed in my 401K plan. I will collect all of this back, plus interest, when I retire. The beauty, I control how it will grow. Think of the toll as your 401K contribution. I don't have to contribute, but if I don't retirement will be difficult. You won't have to pay a toll (by avoiding US 422) but getting around will be very difficult. Much like the 401K, the toll will allow us to decide where and how the money is spent to improve our infrastructure.
See, tolling is not an additional tax, it is an investment. It is an investment that will ensure better roads, better transit, and as a result, better opportunities to grow our community. If we decide not to make the investment, well, it might be difficult to get around in the future.
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Permalink Reply by Bruce Young on
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What specifically is meant by the 422 Corridor? Does this apply only to improvements to the Route 422 directly? Or, if a toll is indeed applied, will 100% of the tolls collected go directly into improvements to Route 422- easier access, entrance controls (similar to the Blue Route), additional lanes between Betzwood and Collegevile? Or will portions be allocated to re-establishing the Reading to Philly rail line and be removed when these items are completed? Or will we have another cash coffer similar to the Turnpike?
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Permalink Reply by US 422 Corridor on
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The US 422 Corridor is defined as the the municipalities along the "Limited Access" portion of the highway from King of Prussia in the east to Amity, Union, and Douglass Townships, Berks County in the west. The corridor incorporates northern Chester County and Southern Montgomery County. A map of the corridor can be see here.
Tolls raised on US 422 would first have to be spent to improve the highway facilities. Excess funds raised would then be used to fund a rail extension from Norristown to Reading. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will be releasing a Request for Proposals to conduct an in depth study of the feasibility of tolling US 422. The study will look at projected traffic and determine the amount to charge so that enough funds can be raised to make the needed improvements. Along with studying the traffic, a program of improvement projects will also be generated. From that list will be the projects that the tolls can be used on.
It is too early to know what the results will be from the study, however as information is made available for the public, it will be posted here on this site.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Coleman on
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I believe we cannot address the US 422 Corridor in a vacuum. The remainder of the state has many other issues and will need to raise the taxes to fix those issues. We will get some sort of tax (gas, vmt, etc.) anyway. However we can also count on our politicians to not double the gas tax to meet the goals.
Therefore, I believe we will need to have the tolling of 422 also. However we should not try to cover all of the expense from the tolls, but plan on some support from the tax that must come, or we will pay double for 422.
The only thing we cannot afford to do any longer is nothing. The politicians must do SOMETHING.
While I still struggle with the idea of highway revenue paying for transit it is a fact that we will continue as we have been in the past. However the tolling should have a higher share to 422 itself, at least initially to get it operating safely and efficiently. Transit can be an add on later as the highway providing the revenue is brought up to reasonable levels of service.
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Permalink Reply by Seamus Mulryan on -
I think tolling makes the most sense regarding control of funds and targeting those who use the highway to pay for maintaining it. However, maintaining 422 is not the only concern here, and such tolling can overburden the users who are already paying for the road through other means. Furthermore, considering this is about more than just 422 work, tolling does not account for people who commute on roads other than 422. Perhaps it would make sense to use a mixture of tolling and county gas taxes in the counties affected. So, what would normally be collected by 100% tolling can be 75% tolling and 25% county gas tax in Berks, Chester, and Montgomery. The 75/25 numbers could be way off, but I think spliting the revenue stream might make sense, especially considering people also commute around the corridor via non-422 or mixed routes.
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Permalink Reply by EJ Cox on -
I believe all the folks that drive on route 309 should pay for the rebuilding of the 422 corridor... Wait that's right they already do. Our taxes and fee's pay for roadways. PENDOT exacts a heavy toll on the State's finances annually for this purpose...
Why are we being asked to pay double, while other areas experiencing the same problems are getting their roadways repaired widened, rerouted etc....
Mismanagement..... The PENDOT mantra...
I am not going to pay a toll for a roadway already being funded..... This idea of exacting a toll on people in addition to their taxes therby makeing us pay twice is simply dumb.....
So we've concluded that this roadway needs more attention.... Tell PENDOT to provide it....
Put a bucket at the end of each off and on ramp and let those who want to pay for light rail and so on throw in their money.... I'll pass it by knnowing I already pay my share of taxes and fee's for this roadway....
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Permalink Reply by Paul Prince on -
I never cease to be amazed at how unwilling our legislators are to realistically address future problems other than the size of their benefit package. The social burden of governmental services has from the inception of our country included roads, bridges and canals. We always realized that the cohesiveness of our society as well as its financial vitality was a function of access. Erie has some superb roads and parks very infrequently visited by those from Montgomery County yet we disproportionately contribute as Pennsylvanians to that expense. Therefore, posturing that the absence of a toll on 422 will result in "...continual degradation of our roadways" presumes a continued unwillingness of our legislature to properly tax and fund our highways. If that is true, then frankly, Galt, we are lost and our social contract is breached.
If we assume government will maintain for ALL a modicum of service then the real question arises which is: is there some method by which we can achieve a superior product for ourselves? I offer a suggestion: a monthly fee restricted speed lane or a computer operated high speed lane at extra per trip charge both of which are technologically and physically possible. I think the answer depends on whether we want to stay focused on yesterday's failures or tomorrow's solutions. Even so, I must raise again the subject of the trains.
One of the most efficient, green high speed methods of transfer available to us is train service on THE EXISTING LINES. How can we contemplate our future and hold train service hostage to what gets done on 422? They are totally different issues and the funding for one should not be conditioned on the other. The train issue has, it seems, been kidnapped in aid of a presumed need for identification of a unique funding stream for highway reconstruction. So, instead of focusing our efforts on raising 600 million for restoration of train service in lieu of a wasted 10 year effort to institute a 3.5 billion train system, we now once again defer train service in search of a different grail. When will we learn? In 1969 we went to the moon. In 1984 we could train from Reading to Philadelphia. Now we can disturb our neighbor with our rude cellphone use but we can't seem to devise how to get a train to Reading or reach the moon. This isn't the progress my generation dreamed of when Kennedy challenged us to look to the future. What we do now, why we do it and how we do it will define the future we give our children's children.
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Permalink Reply by Steven B on -
Add about 50 speed camera's in each direction of 422. 422 is becoming a death trap!! People are driving well over 70mph on this road! Someone who flips their car over driving to work has some real issue's!!! This road has the worst drivers around on it.
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Permalink Reply by E J Cox on -
I wish to once again state my opposition of tolling Route 422. Singling out this roadway simply is a convenient target of opportunity for the DVRPC.
Why not toll Route 309, or the Schulykill expressway, Route 202, or the Blue Route. No it's beter to focus on us here in Western Montgomery county and Eastern Berks county for this "Troll experiment"
You want light rail service into Reading and down to where? How are you going to get from the station to your office? Ride the bus... Why arn't you doing that already, the lines exist.... Let's face it people don't want ride a train and then hoof it. How many of you go to the mall at KOP for lunch? Or do some shopping, say groceries while down in KOP? Sure your going to pack it and carry it from the bus to the light rail....
Be realistic, your saying this is a great idea for everyone else, not you... Until we find a comfortable way to and from the station without weather exposure people are not going to utilize it in the numbers necessary to make it economically viable. That's why the lines shut down in the past.. Look at the buses running to and fro sometime and note that they are pretty much empty.
Tolling 422 isn't going to happen as there's no support for it in the public. The few high minded individuals that support it when pressed will not be riding the rails and busses.
Get me to the train from the train to the office, over to the mall and elsewhere easily and conveniently and maybe this will work and come about. For now it's a resounding no vote from me.
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Permalink Reply by Cliff Keevan on
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I agree 100% with EJ Cox.
Why has 422 been targeted for this toll experiment and not other roadways that need siginificant work or have had significant work done in the last few years?
I feel that while other state road ways have been given attention, 422 has been largely ignored as traffic volumes have steadily increased.
A question I have to ask is how much of the detioration of our roads and poor planning is due to the mismanagment of PENNDOT? From my dealing with PennDot there seems to be a complete lack of common sense and total faith in numbers and statistics and you know what they say about statistics.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Israel on
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It is nice to see how you present your four options in such an unbiased and balanced manner. Why not simply present the options without the editorializing to support your own agenda?
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Permalink Reply by Max Goldman on
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You raise the gas tax. Putting a toll on 422 will not mean the money will go for repairs but to the railroads which are not even built in this country anymore. There is no way to get to any place with a train, it will run at a loss for the few who use it. Th impact on a toll will impact Senior citizens the most. I went to take a blood test in Pottstown, that would cost me 4 dollars coming from Royersford, I took my wife to breakfast that would of cost me another 4 dollars to get to rout 100, I stopped at Home depot anther 4 dollar and then went home another 4 dollars. I would of took the back road skipped breakfast and wen home on the back road.
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