U.S. ROUTE 22 CORRIDOR STUDY

Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc. (ORA) was retained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) to prepare a comprehensive corridor study for U.S. Route 22 from Blue Ribbon Avenue in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County to the I-78 Interchange in Bethel Township, Lebanon County. The length of the corridor is approximately 25 miles. Throughout the corridor, US Route 22 is a four-lane divided highway. For the majority of the corridor, the median is four feet wide. There are five traffic signals within the project limits and there are two grade-separated interchanges. There are 35 unsignalized intersections and numerous driveways along the corridor.

The goal of this corridor study was to identify safety deficiencies and substandard geometric and design features along the corridor, and to develop recommendations that address the deficiencies and substandard features within the context of the community and the environment.

Environmental Constraints

The possible environmental constraints within the project study area boundaries were identified from secondary source data and information obtained from public access files at state institutions and Internet sources. The resources examined are as follows:

• Zoning
• Potential Waste Sites
• Wetlands/Streams
• 100-Year Flood Plains
• Threatened and Endangered Species
• Historic Structures
• Farmlands
• Archaeology
• Community Facilities
• Current/Planned Developments

Traffic Conditions

ORA coordinated an extensive data collection effort in order to gain an understanding of the existing traffic conditions along the Route 22 corridor. Peak hour manual turning movement counts and 24-hour automated traffic recorder counts were conducted along the corridor. These analyses revealed that the capacity along the Route 22 corridor is generally sufficient for the existing and projected traffic volumes.

Crash Analysis

Crash data for U.S. Route 22 in Dauphin County and Lebanon County from calendar years 1997 through 2000 was obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Systems. The data was used to determine types of crashes, contributing crash factors, and frequent crash locations along the corridor.

Roadway Analysis

ORA completed a roadway inventory for the entire corridor length.

The following items were included in the roadway inventory:

• Pavement Type and Condition
• Guiderail Type and Condition
• Median Barrier Type and Condition
• Interchange Deficiencies

Public Involvement

The Route 22 Public Involvement process included two public meetings,one in each County within the study area: Dauphin County on April 13, 2004, and Lebanon County on April 14, 2004. The goals of the public meetings were clearly defined as:

• Introduce the U.S. Route 22 corridor study to the public;
• Describe the natural and manmade environment within the study corridor;
• Review the factors when considering improvements;
• Review existing and future traffic conditions;
• Review the crash statistics; and
• Solicit the input of the attendees on the possible solutions.

Conclusions and Recommendations

A series of projects were and will be developed based on the concerns that were heard at the public meetings.