Route 903 Interchange Project

Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc (ORA) was retained by The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to provide traffic investigations, project needs documentation, NEPA documentation and related environmental investigations, a Point of Access study, wetlands studies and permitting, and public involvement coordination for a new E-ZPass only slip ramp interchange linking the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) and S.R. 903 in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania between Mahoning Valley Interchange No. 74 and Pocono Interchange No. 95.

I-476 is a limited-access interstate toll road with a speed limit of 65 mph in the vicinity of the study area. S.R. 903 is a two-lane collector route with speed limit ranges along the roadway from 25 mph to 55 mph. The land use in the study area is primarily rural residential, with major recreational attractions in the area such as the Pocono Raceway, ski resorts, state parks and state game lands.

ORA conducted LOS analyses on key intersections in the study area; along 903, at the existing Pocono and Mahoning Valley interchanges and along the mainline of I-476. ORA also conducted and analyzed origin/destination survey information to identify major routes used by commuters in the area. The needs identified by ORA for this EZPass only slip ramp project included improved access to the SR 903 corridor’s residential and recreational areas, improved mobility in the study area by reduction of vehicle miles and vehicle hours traveled, and reduced congestion on the surrounding roadway network.

The project also involved impact to specially protected streams and wetlands, which required extensive resource agency coordination and detailed state and federal wetland and stormwater permitting requirements. ORA prepared the individual US Army Corps of Engineers and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection permit applications, conducted the threatened and endangered species coordination, and designed wetland replacement sites as mitigation for 2.5 acres of impact to exceptional value palustrine forested wetland habitat resulting from construction of the slip ramp interchange.