Bethlehem Township
Traffic Impact Fee Study, Roadway Sufficiency Analysis, and
Capital Improvements Plan and Corridor Study

Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, PA

Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. (TPD) provided transportation planning and engineering services to Bethlehem Township for the preparation of a Roadway Sufficiency Analysis Report and Capital Improvements Plan in accordance with Pennsylvania legislation regarding Traffic Impact Fee Studies and Ordinances. The planned extension of PA Route 33 will precipitate tremendous development pressures in Bethlehem Township, and will result in costly road improvements for the Township. The impact fee was adopted to fund those improvements. In order to maximize the fee for the Township, TPD developed one Transportation Service Area (TSA) in the Township which encompassed all new major developments and problematic roadways. This included the area along the Eastern Avenue and Freemansburg Avenue corridors that are experiencing explosive growth as a result of the on-going construction of the Route 33 extension from Route 22 to I-78 since only two new interchanges are at these two arterials. TPD also developed a preferred level of service (LOS) that would maximize the traffic impact fee and further enable the Township to fund the costly roadway improvements that are foreseen.

Limited right-of-way and the presence of cultural resources constrained the Township's improvement options at several intersections. Therefore, TPD developed innovative solutions such as the relocation of an urban collector roadway to achieve the Township's preferred LOS. The results of our analysis were presented in a series of meetings and public hearings. The Roadway Sufficiency Analysis and Capital Improvements Plan were approved by the Township in October 2000.

• Establishment of existing traffic volumes and levels of service (LOS) and identification of existing roadway deficiencies.
• Determination of a preferred LOS that maximized the traffic impact fee.
• Development of traffic volumes for future developments and pass through trips for 2010.
• Identification of improvements needed to correct deficiencies attributable to pass through traffic.
• Identification of improvements needed to correct deficiencies attributable to new development.
• Development of cost estimates for the recommended improvements.
• Development of a funding and implementation schedule for the recommended roadway improvements.

As a result of this study, TPD has also been retained by Bethlehem Township to complete a Corridor Access Management Study for Freemansburg Avenue.

The access for the proposed land developments will be reviewed with respect to existing and future roadways and existing access points along the corridor. The corridor access strategy will be developed based on the Bethlehem Township Comprehensive Plan, Township and PennDOT standards, and other "good access management" practices. The study will also take into account the proposed land uses, trip generation, existing horizontal and vertical geometry constraints, accidents history and available right of way.