2005 News

August 18, 2005
Planning Director Testifies At Transportation Hearing

In an appearance today before the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission in Philadelphia, Lynn Bush, executive director of the Bucks County Planning Commission, outlined the current plan to revitalize the Delaware River waterfront and the corresponding need for regional transportation investments.

The State Transportation Commission conducts biannual hearings across the state as part of the process to develop Pennsylvania's 12-year transportation program. Today's hearing was held in conjunction with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Bush emphasized the importance of transportation investments to help Bucks County achieve its goals for the waterfront and surrounding areas. The county envisions a vibrant and accessible waterfront with new businesses and residential areas and has joined with six communities from Morrisville Borough to Bensalem Township to reshape this valuable resource, she said.

Once home to early commerce and industrial centers, the decline in the local and national manufacturing sector has left the waterfront area dotted with brownfield sites, vacant buildings and increased unemployment, according to the executive director.

In advocating increased transportation projects in the area, Bush said Bucks County's goals for the waterfront parallel the Commonwealth's economic initiatives: Revitalizing jobs, bolstering business growth and sustaining older communities.

While several transportation projects are underway in Bucks County, Bush said there are others she would recommend to improve mobility and support the county's revitalization efforts along the waterfront. She cited the I-95/Pennsylvania Turnpike project, improvements to Route 13, which parallels the river, and rail station improvements at Croydon and Levittown.Bush said she there is a need for highway improvements at the Street Road interchange with I-95 in Bensalem, she said.

Today's hearing covered Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. The transportation program is a blueprint to determine which projects will advance to the design and construction phases and be expected to be funded over a 12-year period.