COSPONSOR MEMO – PENNDOT FOUR DIGIT STATE ROAD ANALYSIS
January 22, 2025 03:34 PM to All House Members
Circulated By
Representative John Lawrence
R House District 13
Memo
SUMMARY
I’d appreciate your support for legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth with an eye towards fundamentally improving these roads. This effort will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address the myriad issues these roads face due to decades of neglect.
DETAILS
Colleagues –
Pennsylvania’s history of paved roads goes back over 100 years. Governor Pinchot – forestry advocate, architect of the Liquor Control Board, and namesake of Pinchot Hall in Penn State’s East Halls dorm complex – campaigned for governor on a promise to pave 20,000 miles of roads across the state to “get farmers out of the mud.” One of the legacies of this (and other) policy decisions all these years later is that Pennsylvania has an inordinately high number of state roads – in fact, it has been said Pennsylvania has more miles of state-owned roadways than New York and the New England states put together. Primary state roads are designated with a one, two, or three digit number. Lesser state roads are designated with a four digit number on PennDOT maps, and many motorists may be unaware that these state roads are, in fact, state roads.
A number of four digit state roads in my area see very, very little attention from PennDOT. More importantly, many of these roads never saw an ounce of engineering when they were originally paved. Stormwater issues, poor alignment, little or no underlying base coat, sharp drop-offs with no guardrail – all of these and more are issues that these roads have inherited from decisions made decades ago. We need to develop a methodical plan to recognize and address these issues – otherwise, they simply will never be addressed.
Other states have 30, 40, or 50 years plans for their road infrastructure and a list of issues that are methodically addressed. Virigina is perhaps one of the leaders in this field, but I see fruits of similar efforts in Delaware and even New Jersey. My experience is that similar efforts in Pennsylvania focus on major roads and larger projects that require significant attention. I can speak from experience that in Chester County, trying to get a back road that needs to have a curve realigned onto the DVRPC TIP priority list can be nearly impossible. Without a special focus on our four digit state roads, I am convinced they will never see anything but another coat of tar-and-chips.
With all of this in mind, I plan to introduce legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth. This evaluation will not require a complete engineering study with detailed drawings, but it will require someone to evaluate the road and identify issues that need to be addressed – realign an intersection, fix that problematic curve, install a proper base coat and repave the road, etc. Local stakeholders will be able to speak into this process as well. This report will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address these issues. We can’t address these issues until they are identified in a comprehensive manner.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. This bill proposes a major, but necessary, undertaking that frankly should have started many years ago. I would appreciate your support of this initiative.
I’d appreciate your support for legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth with an eye towards fundamentally improving these roads. This effort will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address the myriad issues these roads face due to decades of neglect.
DETAILS
Colleagues –
Pennsylvania’s history of paved roads goes back over 100 years. Governor Pinchot – forestry advocate, architect of the Liquor Control Board, and namesake of Pinchot Hall in Penn State’s East Halls dorm complex – campaigned for governor on a promise to pave 20,000 miles of roads across the state to “get farmers out of the mud.” One of the legacies of this (and other) policy decisions all these years later is that Pennsylvania has an inordinately high number of state roads – in fact, it has been said Pennsylvania has more miles of state-owned roadways than New York and the New England states put together. Primary state roads are designated with a one, two, or three digit number. Lesser state roads are designated with a four digit number on PennDOT maps, and many motorists may be unaware that these state roads are, in fact, state roads.
A number of four digit state roads in my area see very, very little attention from PennDOT. More importantly, many of these roads never saw an ounce of engineering when they were originally paved. Stormwater issues, poor alignment, little or no underlying base coat, sharp drop-offs with no guardrail – all of these and more are issues that these roads have inherited from decisions made decades ago. We need to develop a methodical plan to recognize and address these issues – otherwise, they simply will never be addressed.
Other states have 30, 40, or 50 years plans for their road infrastructure and a list of issues that are methodically addressed. Virigina is perhaps one of the leaders in this field, but I see fruits of similar efforts in Delaware and even New Jersey. My experience is that similar efforts in Pennsylvania focus on major roads and larger projects that require significant attention. I can speak from experience that in Chester County, trying to get a back road that needs to have a curve realigned onto the DVRPC TIP priority list can be nearly impossible. Without a special focus on our four digit state roads, I am convinced they will never see anything but another coat of tar-and-chips.
With all of this in mind, I plan to introduce legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth. This evaluation will not require a complete engineering study with detailed drawings, but it will require someone to evaluate the road and identify issues that need to be addressed – realign an intersection, fix that problematic curve, install a proper base coat and repave the road, etc. Local stakeholders will be able to speak into this process as well. This report will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address these issues. We can’t address these issues until they are identified in a comprehensive manner.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. This bill proposes a major, but necessary, undertaking that frankly should have started many years ago. I would appreciate your support of this initiative.
Legislation
Document
This document has not been submitted for introduction yet.
COSPONSOR MEMO – PENNDOT FOUR DIGIT STATE ROAD ANALYSIS
January 22, 2025 03:34 PM to All House Members
Circulated By
LAWRENCE
Memo
SUMMARY
I’d appreciate your support for legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth with an eye towards fundamentally improving these roads. This effort will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address the myriad issues these roads face due to decades of neglect.
DETAILS
Colleagues –
Pennsylvania’s history of paved roads goes back over 100 years. Governor Pinchot – forestry advocate, architect of the Liquor Control Board, and namesake of Pinchot Hall in Penn State’s East Halls dorm complex – campaigned for governor on a promise to pave 20,000 miles of roads across the state to “get farmers out of the mud.” One of the legacies of this (and other) policy decisions all these years later is that Pennsylvania has an inordinately high number of state roads – in fact, it has been said Pennsylvania has more miles of state-owned roadways than New York and the New England states put together. Primary state roads are designated with a one, two, or three digit number. Lesser state roads are designated with a four digit number on PennDOT maps, and many motorists may be unaware that these state roads are, in fact, state roads.
A number of four digit state roads in my area see very, very little attention from PennDOT. More importantly, many of these roads never saw an ounce of engineering when they were originally paved. Stormwater issues, poor alignment, little or no underlying base coat, sharp drop-offs with no guardrail – all of these and more are issues that these roads have inherited from decisions made decades ago. We need to develop a methodical plan to recognize and address these issues – otherwise, they simply will never be addressed.
Other states have 30, 40, or 50 years plans for their road infrastructure and a list of issues that are methodically addressed. Virigina is perhaps one of the leaders in this field, but I see fruits of similar efforts in Delaware and even New Jersey. My experience is that similar efforts in Pennsylvania focus on major roads and larger projects that require significant attention. I can speak from experience that in Chester County, trying to get a back road that needs to have a curve realigned onto the DVRPC TIP priority list can be nearly impossible. Without a special focus on our four digit state roads, I am convinced they will never see anything but another coat of tar-and-chips.
With all of this in mind, I plan to introduce legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth. This evaluation will not require a complete engineering study with detailed drawings, but it will require someone to evaluate the road and identify issues that need to be addressed – realign an intersection, fix that problematic curve, install a proper base coat and repave the road, etc. Local stakeholders will be able to speak into this process as well. This report will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address these issues. We can’t address these issues until they are identified in a comprehensive manner.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. This bill proposes a major, but necessary, undertaking that frankly should have started many years ago. I would appreciate your support of this initiative.
I’d appreciate your support for legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth with an eye towards fundamentally improving these roads. This effort will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address the myriad issues these roads face due to decades of neglect.
DETAILS
Colleagues –
Pennsylvania’s history of paved roads goes back over 100 years. Governor Pinchot – forestry advocate, architect of the Liquor Control Board, and namesake of Pinchot Hall in Penn State’s East Halls dorm complex – campaigned for governor on a promise to pave 20,000 miles of roads across the state to “get farmers out of the mud.” One of the legacies of this (and other) policy decisions all these years later is that Pennsylvania has an inordinately high number of state roads – in fact, it has been said Pennsylvania has more miles of state-owned roadways than New York and the New England states put together. Primary state roads are designated with a one, two, or three digit number. Lesser state roads are designated with a four digit number on PennDOT maps, and many motorists may be unaware that these state roads are, in fact, state roads.
A number of four digit state roads in my area see very, very little attention from PennDOT. More importantly, many of these roads never saw an ounce of engineering when they were originally paved. Stormwater issues, poor alignment, little or no underlying base coat, sharp drop-offs with no guardrail – all of these and more are issues that these roads have inherited from decisions made decades ago. We need to develop a methodical plan to recognize and address these issues – otherwise, they simply will never be addressed.
Other states have 30, 40, or 50 years plans for their road infrastructure and a list of issues that are methodically addressed. Virigina is perhaps one of the leaders in this field, but I see fruits of similar efforts in Delaware and even New Jersey. My experience is that similar efforts in Pennsylvania focus on major roads and larger projects that require significant attention. I can speak from experience that in Chester County, trying to get a back road that needs to have a curve realigned onto the DVRPC TIP priority list can be nearly impossible. Without a special focus on our four digit state roads, I am convinced they will never see anything but another coat of tar-and-chips.
With all of this in mind, I plan to introduce legislation requiring PennDOT to evaluate every four digit state road in the Commonwealth. This evaluation will not require a complete engineering study with detailed drawings, but it will require someone to evaluate the road and identify issues that need to be addressed – realign an intersection, fix that problematic curve, install a proper base coat and repave the road, etc. Local stakeholders will be able to speak into this process as well. This report will give us an understanding of what needs to happen in the coming years to address these issues. We can’t address these issues until they are identified in a comprehensive manner.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. This bill proposes a major, but necessary, undertaking that frankly should have started many years ago. I would appreciate your support of this initiative.
Document
This document has not been submitted for introduction yet.
Generated 05/20/2025 02:09 AM