The condition and accessibility of the transportation system has major implications for both the economic health and the quality of life of residents in the Donegal Area. Decisions on what types of business will be attracted and where they will locate are determined by the ease which both individuals and goods can be moved. The ability of the Donegal area’s transportation system to effectively move both visitors and residents is crucial to both the present economy and future growth and development. The Transportation section examines the issues and concerns regarding transportation within the project area, and lays the basis for understanding how development is shaped by the transportation network. Donegal’s location along the Pennsylvania Turnpike means that it has special transportation needs unique from many other rural areas. The Donegal exit of the Turnpike acts as a gateway for thousands of tourists who travel to various destinations throughout the southern portion of the Laurel Highlands. Destinations such as the ski resorts of Hidden Valley and Seven Springs, as well as the nearby town of Ligonier can be reached via Donegal and congestion is not uncommon, especially during the peak leaf viewing times of the fall and the winter ski season. Transportation State Route 31 (Mackin Photo, 2007) 3.3… Section 3…Background Studies Donegal Borough & Donegal Township PREVIOUS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Westmoreland County Comprehensive Plan The Westmoreland County Comprehensive Plan was adopted in December 2004; part of the planning process was the crafting of ten principals to guide plans and development. Four of these guiding principals deal directly with transportation. 1) “Prioritize transportation improvements that reduce travel time from key areas of the county, thus reducing congestion on local highways.” 2) “Implement planning techniques and enforce development standards that cluster commercial development and discourage the proliferation of curb cuts on commercial highways.” 3) “Provide more options and fewer roadblocks to varieties of housing types … utilize design techniques that instill a sense of place, and reduce travel time for every day purchases.” 4) “Construction of new turnpike “EZPass” interchanges at State Routes 130 and 981.” The Westmoreland County Comprehensive Plan does not specifically address concerns related to the Donegal Area nor does it offer recommendations for future development related to transportation improvements. However, for the purposes of this Comprehensive Plan, transportation related issues and concerns for the Donegal Area are addressed using the related guiding principals set forth in the Westmoreland County Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, recommendations are made in a manner that seeks to best address the goals and priorities of other local and regional planning agencies. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) classifies all state-owned roads according to functional classifications. The classification of a roadway relates to its basic relationship to traffic levels of service and access. For example: Arterials provide a higher level of service and a greater deal of access control, while Local Roads provide the highest level of access, but provide much lower levels of service. Collector roads provide a balance between mobility and access. For the purpose of this plan, PennDOT Functional Classifications will be used to describe the road inventory. The road network is graphically shown on Map 3.3A: Local Transportation Network. 3.3-2 Joint Comprehensive Plan ROADWAY CLASSIFICATIONS Interstate Highways The Pennsylvania interstate system includes presently designated interstate routes that meet the federal interstate geometric and construction standards for future traffic demands. This designation is the highest classification of arterial roads and provides the highest level of service at the highest speed for the longest uninterrupted distances (Penn DOT, 2005). Designed to be the safest, all-weather highway network in the United States, the system was originally designed for national defense. Interstate 76/70 Pennsylvania Turnpike Interstate 70 and Interstate 76 (PA Turnpike) is a limited access, Interstate Highway that was constructed as part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System. The highway transverses Donegal Township east west and provides connections to Pittsburgh to the west, and Harrisburg and Philadelphia to the east. The Donegal Interchange (PA Turnpike Exit 91) is located in Donegal Township and provides direct access to State Route 31 heading east and west. As the principal connection between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and the Washington D.C./Baltimore area and points west, combined Interstate 76/70 through Westmoreland County is a heavily traveled highway. Traffic counts along this roadway range from 36,000 to 45,000 vehicles daily. According to information provided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (B. Heigel, personal communication, December 19 2007), the Turnpike does not have any planned improvements for the Donegal interchange although the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation does have a planned intersection improvement scheduled for State Route 31. However, the turnpike itself has gone through significant reconstruction over the past few years. Beginning in 2002, a reconstruction project to completely rebuild the turnpike between mileposts 85 and 94 was undertaken. This multi-year $66 million project rebuilt the old roadbeds, widened lanes of traffic and created new shoulders to improve traveler safety. Final Draft: 7/28/2008 3.3-3 Donegal Borough & Donegal Township Pennsylvania Turnpike 66 Pennsylvania Turnpike 66 is a toll highway that begins at the interchange of Interstate 76, and Interstate 70 and US 119. The toll road connects to regional arterials and US 22 at its northern terminus. This roadway provides access from Interstate 76/70 to US Route 30 and US Route 22, which are two of the primary arterials to job and population centers in eastern Allegheny County. Interstate I-70 Interstate 70 is an east to west limited access roadway that enters Westmoreland County from Washington County and shares an alignment with the Pennsylvania Turnpike 76 beginning at New Stanton. This roadway serves a major freight corridor for heavy trucks as well as a thoroughfare for out of state vehicular traffic and local trips. Principal Arterials Principal arterials provide statewide or interstate travel to urbanized areas. They provide integrated movements without stub connections. Design of the roadway usually consists of two (2) 12-foot lanes with 8 to 10 foot shoulders with speeds typically ranging from 45 to 65 miles per hour. There are no roadways classified as Principal Arterials in the Donegal Area, however, connections to principal arterials in the region can be made via the Pennsylvania Turnpike and State Route 711. US Route 30 US Route 30 is an east-west highway that bisects Westmoreland County from the Allegheny County line to Somerset County and forms Westmoreland County’s primary commercial corridor. US 30 offers access to regional business centers such as Greensburg, North Huntington Township and eastern Allegheny County via connections from Interstate 76/70. Minor Arterial Highway Minor arterials link cities, larger towns and other traffic generators to provide integrated interstate and inter-county service. Minor arterials are spaced at proper intervals consistent with population density. Design of the roadway 3.3-4 Joint Comprehensive Plan usually consists of two (2) 12-foot lanes with 8 to 10 foot shoulders and speeds typically ranging from 35 to 45 miles per hours. Minor arterial highways in the Donegal Area are State Route 31 and State Route 711. These routes are the primary routes to and from destinations in Donegal. Most roads in the Donegal Area connect to either State Route 31 or State Route 711. State Route 31 State Route 31 is the primary route for local traffic in Donegal Township. The road runs the spine of the Township and connects neighboring Somerset County and points east through Donegal Township. The road can be split into three segments. Turnpike Interchange West to Mt. Pleasant Township, which has an average daily traffic of 6,995 of which, 12 percent is truck traffic. Turnpike Interchange to the Sarnelli’s Corner (intersection of SR 31 and SR 381/711) has an average daily traffic count of 6,609 and ten percent is classified as truck traffic. Sarnelli’s Corner (intersection of SR 31 and SR 711/381) to the county line experiences an average daily traffic count of 3,777 and nine percent is classified as truck traffic. State Route 31 is the commercial corridor of the Donegal Area and thus is the location for most businesses. As such, State Route 31 has a high number of access points that serve local businesses. Most of these businesses have individual points of ingress and egress creating adjacent yet unconnected parking lots. Such land use patterns create increased points of entry onto the roadway and increased turn movements thereby contributing to potential points of conflicts along the roadway. Large numbers of individual access points or curb cuts runs counter to the stated goals of the Westmoreland County Comprehensive Plan to “Implement planning techniques and enforce development standards that cluster commercial development and discourage the proliferation of curb cuts on commercial highways.” PennDOT has two scheduled intersection improvements for State Route 31. One is near