Connected Mixed-Transportation Region
A seamless network where roads, trails, sidewalks and technology connect everyone to every place—that’s the goal. For the Lehigh Valley to reach its potential, we must design a transportation system that is welcoming to drivers, walkers and rollers—regardless of age, income or ability—and lay the groundwork for the next generation of technology and communications. Our network of the future will provide transportation and communications options that connect work, home and places where people want to go, both locally and regionally.
Compact walkable, bikeable and safe neighborhoods improve job accessibility and enable people to spend less time in a car. Investing in existing roads, bridges, transit lines and utilities, while using next generation technology to manage freight traffic and enable new job opportunities, will create a dynamic system that improves the flow of goods, services and people.
Develop a mixed-transportation network to support a more compact development pattern, optimize roadway capacity and encourage alternative travel options.
2.1
- Establish mixed-transportation corridors.
- Support high-frequency bus service through denser, mixed-use development in Centers and along Corridors as a potential precursor to future light rail service.
- Link transportation funding to desired housing outcomes.
- Integrate automated transportation technologies.
- Enhance THE LINK – the Lehigh Valley’s multi-use trail network.
- Connect regional trails to Centers and Corridors.
- Promote funding opportunities for mixed-transportation and recreation facilities.
- Advocate for sustainable, long-term transportation funding solutions at the state and federal levels.
- Support and assist local, state and federal governments to develop innovative solutions in transportation finance.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, 62 Municipalities, Lehigh Valley Greenways, Federal Transit Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Related Policies
1.2
2.2
2.4
2.6
4.5
5.4
1.1
1.4
2.3
2.5
3.4
5.2
CENTERS AND CORRIDORS
The future of the Lehigh Valley is built around Centers and Corridors. Centers are existing active economic districts near residential neighborhoods that are interconnected by busy roads, trails and transit corridors. This network already makes up the economic and transportation backbone of our region and offers the best and most sustainable opportunity for meeting the future needs of our community.
By concentrating future development in these mixed-use and transportation areas, we will increase the accessibility and diversity of housing, strengthen retail, support more active lifestyles and reduce sprawl. This shift in development will help meet growing demand for housing, while relieving development pressure on our remaining farms and open space. The resulting density will increase the activity and vibrancy in our communities, while strengthening our mixed-transportation system in a way that makes it more usable for pedestrians, bicyclists, the mobility impaired and drivers.
Not all Centers and Corridors are the same. Some are older or larger, while others have more people and traffic. To help these areas reach their potential, Centers and Corridors have been divided up into categories—centers by age and development pattern, and corridors by mix of transportation types and how many people they move. These different categories help ensure the right policies are focused in the right areas, helping the Lehigh Valley grow into a more sustainable future with greater options for transportation.
TRANSPORTATION PLAN
This plan shows major transportation infrastructure and opportunities for creating denser, mixed-use and transit-supported development and is used to guide efforts to improve the transportation network by private, non-profit organizations, government agencies and individuals. The plan identifies a series of Centers and Corridors that may be appropriate for higher-density development and improved mixed-transportation options, as well as critical regional highways and major intersections between highways and mixed-transportation corridors. The LVPC uses this plan as an important component of development review, and highly encourages projects that expand, improve or connect the mixed-transportation network. The LVTS also utilizes this plan to guide transportation policy and investments.
Centers and Corridors are identified on the General Land Use Plan.
INTERACTIVE MAP
CENTERS AND CORRIDORS DEFINITIONS
Centers
Centers are opportunities for mixed-use areas that are a focal point of social, cultural and economic activity. The goal for these areas is to offer a variety of housing prices and types close to shops, restaurants and jobs. They should feature streets that encourage walking and biking—expanding safe transportation options within the community. Further, they should be well-connected to nature and surrounding neighborhoods, promoting an active lifestyle that is good for the social, physical and psychological well-being of residents and visitors.
Historic Centers are communities that were largely designed and developed for people without a car. They are dense, pedestrian-friendly communities that offer a variety of social, cultural, transportation, economic and housing opportunities. Many of these Centers have retained their mix of uses, street networks and unique architecture that provide a strong foundation for bicycle, pedestrian, mass transit and automotive-friendly communities.
Historic Centers will need to build upon and strengthen existing assets, adapt buildings to meet new needs, allow additional new construction and work to incorporate improvements that expand transportation choice to meet the future needs of the community.
Post-War Centers were largely developed after the automobile became central to American culture. Designed during and after the inception of the national highway network, they are auto-oriented, generally low-density districts that are difficult to access with anything but a car. Though often near residential neighborhoods and businesses, bicycle, pedestrian and mass transit connections are often limited.
Post-War Centers will require a diversification of uses that include residential. These Centers should focus on development density and investments to expand transportation choice to meet the future needs of the community.
Emerging Centers have developed largely since the 2008 recession and have a mix of both Historic and Post-War features. They are mixed-use and may have sidewalks, bike lanes and mass transit facilities, but are still very auto-oriented. Connections between commercial areas and surrounding neighborhoods might not be strong or safe.
Emerging Centers are still developing. By emphasizing diversity of uses, increased development density and transportation choice on their development and redevelopment sites, they can meet the future needs of the community.
Corridors
Corridors are opportunities for linear mixed-use districts that connect centers with high-quality roads, trails and mass transit lines. Each corridor contains a variety of uses and development types that help to support all transportation modes. Anchored by a Center on each end, Corridors connect residential neighborhoods to social, cultural and economic opportunities and make the Lehigh Valley a more livable, equitable and connected place.
Corridor Definitions
Provide a safe, well-maintained transportation network to move people and goods efficiently, while capitalizing on existing infrastructure.
2.2
- Improve efficiency of existing infrastructure.
- Right-size transportation infrastructure projects.
- Encourage an interconnected street network.
- Facilitate transportation education programs.
- Enhance incident management strategies.
- Reduce transportation-related emissions.
- Protect existing and future Lehigh Valley International Airport runway approaches.
- Support interregional transportation services.
- Educate and collaborate across public, private and governmental entities on the effects of land use decision-making on mobility, resiliency and quality of life.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, 62 Municipalities
Related Policies
1.2
2.1
2.4
2.6
5.1
1.1
1.4
2.3
2.5
3.4
5.2
Encourage enhanced transit connections to improve mobility and job access.
2.3
- Enhance public transit service and pedestrian and bicycle facilities
- along corridors.
- Link growing job and population centers.
- Strengthen mixed-transportation access to regional transit hubs.
- Improve connections between mass transit and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
- Support mass transit access to neighboring regions.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, 62 Municipalities, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, Community Advocates
Related Policies
1.4
2.2
4.3
1.2
2.1
2.6
5.2
MacArthur Road Concept
MacArthur Road, Whitehall Township
High-Frequency Bus Service, bike lanes and good sidewalks expand transportation options and move people around the region efficiently. This new infrastructure can be supported by planning for the decline of in-store shopping and repurposing developed land for new housing and mixed-use development, a transformation that is key to maintaining and growing the economy. Areas like MacArthur Road are good places to start because the concentration of people, jobs and large lots make them good candidates for new and expanded uses.
Design Renderings by PennPraxis
MacArthur Road Cross Section
MacArthur Road, Whitehall Township
MacArthur Road is one of the widest public roads in the Lehigh Valley. This width creates problems for bicycle, pedestrian and transportation circulation because it only focuses on moving cars and trucks. By redesigning the road to focus on people and a mix of transportation options, we can create a road that moves more people, while being safe and attractive for walkers, bikers, rollers and public transit users. Reworking the public realm also adds better, safer access to adjacent businesses and neighborhoods, reinforcing private investment and value.
Strengthen freight mobility to minimize quality of life impacts to residents.
2.4
- Locate freight facilities in areas with available and planned transportation capacity.
- Encourage designation of truck routes.
- Expand truck parking options and amenities.
- Support increased use of rail and air freight.
- Improve rail and highway grade crossings.
- Municipalities are discouraged from approving land use plans that have freight impacts, without the existing infrastructure to support it.
- Municipalities must consider the global effects of new or expanded
- freight businesses.
- Municipalities must assess the impact of freight-based businesses on the entire regional transportation system.
- Municipalities with transportation-based facilities must consider business turnover and its impact on the infrastructure system, economy, tax base, environment and community.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, 62 Municipalities, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Freight Providers
Related Policies
2.2
2.1
3.4
DENSITY
Adds value to neighborhoods and business districts
With its prime location, extensive road network and high quality of life, the Lehigh Valley has for decades been an attractive landing spot for new residents and developers. The result is hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of new homes and millions of square feet of commercial and industrial development every year. The downside of all that growth is that it often happens on the farm and open space lands that make the region such an attractive place to live, work and play.
Greenfield development can also threaten agricultural industries, food and beverage manufacturing, transportation, water, sewer emerging management services and school districts if not managed properly.
Density and infill development are powerful strategies to preserve those character-defining lands and add value to the business districts and neighborhoods where they’re used, while keeping the tax base intact.
That strategy is at the core of FutureLV: The Regional Plan. The concept is simple. By adding density to areas that are already developed, it prevents sprawl, inefficient development patterns and, in general, the churning up of farmland and open space to accommodate the growth that is inevitable in a region as attractive as the Lehigh Valley.
All that farmland and open space—there’s roughly 40,000 acres of protected farmland Valleywide—adds value to the overall housing and key manufacturing sectors in the region.
Using existing infrastructure keeps taxpayers from funding new road, sewer and water projects. And adding mixed-use development to a business district increases the value of the existing businesses by adding foot traffic and vibrancy that makes the district more attractive to shoppers, workers and residents. It also addresses a trend in which people increasingly want more dense, urban and mid-scale housing in walkable neighborhoods—a fact that’s spurred nearly 700 new apartments in downtown Allentown and more than 7,600 new renters in urban and suburban neighborhoods regionwide since 2012.
Ultimately, density helps create a better transportation network. More people living or working in a particular area makes it a better candidate for more mass transit stops, further adding value to the district and making the transit system more efficient. When Amazon hunted for a second headquarters, a fully developed mass transit system was among its requirements.
If used properly, and paired with good design, density and infill development can be key tools in adding value to existing assets and protecting the quality of life Lehigh Valley residents and businesses have come to rely on.
2,168
7,690
Since 2012, Homeowners are
and Renters are
SPECIAL SECTION
FREIGHT
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
The Lehigh Valley’s location at the heart of nearly 100 million potential consumers has helped make it one of the world’s fastest-growing corridors for the movement of freight. As the nation’s appetite for online shopping—and the need to get those goods within two days—grows, the amount of goods moving through the region increases with it. By 2040, the flow of freight is projected to increase by 96% to more than 80 million tons a year.
Some of those consumer goods are coming into the region by planes and trains, but nearly 90% are moving by truck. Many of these goods are moving through massive warehouses—some exceeding 1 million square feet—before they’re delivered across the Northeast. The change in how goods are purchased and delivered is having a dramatic impact on how we develop land and how we plan our transportation system of the future.
The implications of such drastic changes to the transportation network require significant investments and further coordination with partners such as PennDOT, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, the Federal Highway Administration and communities across the region.
- Complete inventory of assets related to movement of all cargo types.
- Monitor truck traffic pattern changes.
- Inventory and plan for weight-restricted bridges near warehousing.
- Legislative policy reform concerning freight movement regulation.
- Alternative freight routes.
- Deployment of autonomous freight vehicles
96%
Projected Increase of freight through the region by 2040
42 Million
Square feet of new warehouse and distribution space proposed from 2013-2019
$129 Billion
Value of freight
moving through the
region by 2040
90%
Freight moving by truck
Increase in population, consumer demand and expectations of immediate delivery of goods have contributed to heavier congestion, which has a profound effect on the quality of our transportation network.
SPECIAL SECTION
Support the expansion of technology, communications and utilities to reduce travel demands, optimize traffic flow and prepare for the next generation of jobs.
2.5
- Prepare for a driverless future.
- Develop smart streets that use adaptive traffic signals.
- Support uniform traffic control standards.
- Encourage trip planning technology applications for all modes of travel.
- Support telecommuting options to reduce travel demands.
- Advance autonomous and electric vehicle technologies.
- Expand broadband, 5G and future wireless capacity.
- Expand electric utility capacity.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, 62 Municipalities,
Utilities, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley
Related Policies
2.2
4.6
5.2
2.1
2.6
Ensure the highest and best use of transportation funds to maximize available financial resources.
2.6
- Improve transportation performance measures.
- Adjust transportation projects to meet changing needs of the region.
- Expand capacity only in areas recommended for development.
- Maintain existing transportation infrastructure.
- Support collaboration among project partners.
- Employ new techniques to minimize cost and speed construction.
- Utilize cost and consumer-benefit analyses.
- Advocate for innovative funding for all transportation types.
Themes
Implementation Partners
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, 62 Municipalities,
Utilities, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley
Related Policies
2.1
2.3
4.6
1.2
2.2
2.5