Officials have released an update of Lancaster County’s 20-year Metropolitan Transportation Plan and are inviting the public to review it and make comments.
The update, Connects 2050, is a component of Places 2040, the county’s comprehensive plan. It replaces Connects 2040, which was adopted in 2020.
Accompanying Connects 2050 is the county’s Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, which outlines projects slated for completion over the next four years.
An online version of Connects 2050 is available here (PDF). To comment, click here. Comments may also be submitted via mail or email as follows:
Will Clark
Director for Land Use & Transportation Planning
Lancaster County Planning Department
150 N. Queen St., Suite 320
Lancaster, PA 17603
Email: wclark@lancastercountypa.gov.
Comments are accepted through Wednesday, June 12.
Data shows that drivers log close to 12 million miles on Lancaster County roads every day. Connects 2050 forecasts population growth leading to further demand on the transportation system.
On balance, the county’s population mix is trending older, suggesting more demand for public transportation and for the Red Rose Transit Authority’s shared-ride service, Red Rose Access. Meanwhile, the internet is driving two somewhat contradictory trends: More people are working from home rather than commuting; but online commerce has increased local truck and van traffic.
The plan goes on to evaluate safety, maintenance, economics and other factors. It notes that the Biden administration’s infrastructure investment laws will boost federal transportation funding by about 30% in coming years, but that inflation will somewhat offset the value of the increase.
The county’s Transportation Technical Advisory Committee will discuss Connects 2050 and the TIP at its meeting at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, and whether to recommend their adoption to the county Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO. The MPO will vote on adoption at its subsequent meeting at 12:30 p.m. Monday, June 24.
