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Important Opportunity to Prioritize the Circuit Trails for Federal Funding

Authored By: Patrick Monahan | Regional Organizer for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia | June 6, 2022

Take Action: PA TIP courtesy Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia

This article was originally published by The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. It has been posted here in an edited format. Este contenido también está disponible en español.

In preparation for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) public comment period for the Draft FY2023 Transportation Improvement Project (TIP) for Pennsylvania, members of the Circuit Trails Coalition have gathered information on the amount of funding currently proposed to be allocated for trail, bicycle and pedestrian projects in the Pennsylvania counties that fall within the DVRPC region. Furthermore, research was conducted to determine which additional trail projects should be programmed into the FY2023 TIP for Pennsylvania. Once a project has been programmed into the TIP, it is prioritized to receive federal investment, which can fast-track its development.

TAKE ACTION BY JUNE 28

 

Recently, the Circuit Trails Coalition helped to successfully program projects related to the Circuit Trails into the TIP. This involved the advancement of the Spring Garden Street Greenway by the City of Philadelphia. Thanks to the Circuit Trails Coalition and the support of over 1,000 advocates, funding for design and engineering has been allocated for the Spring Garden Street Greenway, and the beginning stages of this project are underway.

This current opportunity to prioritize the Circuit Trails for funding through inclusion in the TIP is extremely important. There are over 100 miles of Circuit Trails in Pennsylvania ready to move forward—these are projects needed to achieve the Circuit Trails Coalition’s short-term goal of completing 500 miles of trails in the network by 2025. You can read more about those projects and the trail segments prioritized by the Circuit Trails Coalition in our recently released Moving the Circuit Forward report (Status as of 2021).

This process sets the priorities for federal transportation infrastructure spending in the region for the next four years—which is why we can’t afford to miss the opportunity to accelerate the development of the Circuit Trails. We need to make it clear to DVRPC that the Circuit Trails and the region’s active transportation network should be prioritized and programmed into the TIP.

To take action and help advance the Circuit Trails, you can access our pre-written letter here and send it to the DVRPC Board by June 28, 2022 at 5P.M. There’s less than a month to submit comments, so please get yours in today and ask a friend to do the same!

TAKE ACTION BY JUNE 28

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