Public Meeting May 22: Comment on the 25-year regional transportation plan

SPC’s Long Range Plan for the region is up for comment

On the brink of the announcement of not one, but two hopeful highway expansion projects, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) has begun a series of meetings for their draft Long Range Plan, called “SmartMoves for a Changing Region” for the 10-county area. It highlights $31.7 billion worth of expected transportation projects through 2045. SPC is required to update this 25-year plan every four years, which will help determine what projects will be funded and built.

Who is the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission?

SPC is an organization tasked with disbursing state and federal transit funds in the 10 counties that make up Southwestern PA. In theory, these funds should conform to the goals and vision of Long Range Plan. Which means the Long Range Plan is really important.

Can I comment on the Long Range Plan?

Yep! There are two ways to comment: email or at a public meeting.
Email comments on the plan can be made by 4pm on June 7 to: comments@spcregion.org or by using the comment form on their website.

Comments can be as simple or as detailed as you like – the important thing is that you comment. For instance, you can simply comment on such things as: YES to implementing Vision Zero, and expanding bike trails. Likewise, you can leave general comments such as NO to highway expansion or new roads, or that we need to prioritize clean air.

The subjects in the document aren’t necessarily limited to transportation. For instance, there’s a section claiming that the “Appalachian region has the potential to become a major petrochemical and plastic resin producing region” and that we are “an ideal location for the emergence of a second major petrochemical manufacturing hub in the country.” Of course, this means that we would need to build the additional infrastructure of highways, pipelines and storage facilities to support this industry. You probably have thoughts on this.

Public Meeting: Wednesday May 22 at 4:30pm-6:30pm

For the full experience, we recommend going to one of their public meetings that will explain the Long Range Plan and comment process. SPC plans to have the Allegheny County Public Meeting on Wednesday, May 22 at their office. This is a chance to talk directly to staff about the plan. The meetings are an “open house” format, and the public is invited to attend at any point during the two hour period.
Where: SPC Conference Center, Two Chatham Center, 112 Washington Place, 4th floor, Pittsburgh
Facebook Event Page

Not in Allegheny County?
The full meeting schedule is available on the SPC website.

Leave a Reply