FOCUS AREAS
CONGESTION
DRAFT
TO ACCESS THE CURRENT 2045 HATS RTP, CLICK HERE.
Traffic congestion is one of the major issues influencing decisions about the transportation system and affecting quality of life in the HATS region. Through its federally mandated congestion management process (CMP), HATS provides effective management of new and existing transportation facilities through the development and implementation of cost-effective operational and travel demand management strategies. HATS CMP also provides information to regional stakeholders and decision makers on system performance and effectiveness of these strategies, through the use of federal performance measures and other metrics. While the ongoing HATS CMP update isn’t incorporated into this RTP, many of the metrics, tools, plans, and programs that will be utilized are discussed below.
QUICK LINKS
CONDITIONS
TRAFFIC VOLUME TRENDS —
Use of the region’s roadways is primarily measured in vehicle miles traveled. Shown in Table 1, from 2008 to 2023 the region’s daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT) decreased overall approximately 11.5%, from 17.7 million to 15.8 million. On the Interstate system, the decrease in DMVT was greater. Shown in Table 2, from 2008 to 2023 the region’s DMVT on the Interstate system fell approximately 15.5%, from 5.8 million to 5.1 million.
Figure 1 shows the yearly totals for the interstate system, the non-interstate system in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties, as well as the entire HATS region. The trends show a gradual decrease for each category, with a sharp decline in 2020 resulting from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post pandemic, traffic volumes rebounded back to expected levels but continued declining in the years since.
Traffic volumes for individual road segments and corridors are expressed using average annual daily trips (AADT), which measures the total volume of vehicle traffic on a roadway for a year divided by 365 days. The highest volume corridors in the HATS region are limited access highways, such as Interstates 81 and 83, US 322, and US 581. Full access roadways with the highest volumes are large arterials such as Carlisle Pike, Jonestown Road, and PA 743.
To view the AADT data, click here for the interactive mapping application.
Table 1 - Total DVMT by County
Table 2 - Interstate DVMT by County
Figure 1 - Total DVMT by County
COMMUTE PA —
Commuter Services of PA is a professionally staffed organization whose purpose is to reduce traffic congestion and pollution by helping commuters find alternatives to driving alone. Their service area covers 9 counties, including Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties, in south central Pennsylvania, and nearly 1.2 million commuters living or working in those counties. The organization is funded by federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) funds and overseen by the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Partnership, which consists of local chambers, transit agencies, and planning agencies. Across their many services, Commuter PA assists 325 employers and close to 25,000 members with information and/or coordination related to car- or van-pools, transit and train, walking and biking, and telecommuting.
For more information on Commute PA, click here.
PENNDOT EASTERN REGIONAL OPERATIONS PLAN —
PennDOT has recognized the need to develop comprehensive planning that identify future projects and improve performance measures that are in line with regional, state and federal policies. The development of the ROP’s was a key initiative to play an important role in Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) process to secure future capital funding for project incorporating TSMO solutions.
The Eastern Regional Operation Plan (ROP) was completed in 2020 for the Eastern Regional Traffic Management Center as part of the statewide initiatives to increase implementation of Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) projects. Through data analysis and stakeholder input, a list of the region’s transportation needs and operation issues was developed. Projects were developed for identified hotspots based on issues and needs and then prioritized based ok stakeholder input and discussion into “High Priority” and “Normal Priority” groups. The ROP projects were then divided into short-term and long-term categories. Short-term projects were identified as those that could be implemented in less than four years. Long-term projects are those that would take four or more years. Some of the projects identified in the ROP that are located within the Tri-County Region include:
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Dauphin I-283/ PA-283 ITS Fiber Interconnect (High Priority Project)
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Cameron Street Signal Improvements (High Priority Project)
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I-81 Freeway Service Patrol, Harrisburg MPO (High Priority)
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Harrisburg Transit Connections and Harrisburg Transit Priority
In 2023, an interim update of the ROP was completed to provide the status of existing projects, a discussion of emerging trends related to traffic operations, and identification of new ROP projects which have bene proposed during the update process. Projects that were identified in the 2020 ROP within the HATS region that are currently in design include the Dauphin I-283/ PA-283 ITS Fiber Interconnect and the Cameron Street Signal improvements which is currently in construction. During the interim update, 44 new projects were identified, none of which were located within the HATS region.
ONGOING HATS CMP —
The HATS Congestion Management process was last updated in 2017 and is an ongoing process that determines where congestion exists on the region’s roadways, identifies the causes of congestion, and develops transportation strategies to reduce traffic congestion, enhance safety, and allow for better mobility options across the region. This process monitors conditions while also identifying priority corridors and intersections based on specific performance measures to determine how limited transportation funding should be allocated. Federal regulations require all transportation management areas (TMA’s) with a population greater than 200,000 to develop a CMP. These regulations require CMP’s to be implemented as a continuous part of the regional MPO planning process.
Currently, HATS is part of an ongoing effort to develop a Regional CMP Hub which includes the members of the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Partnership (SRTP). The hub will provide the basis for all of the SRTP board members to better understand congestion in the region and better focus efforts in reducing single occupancy travel for more effective congestion management. Some of the key benefits of the CMP hub include looking at congestion from a broader, larger regional scale beyond individual MPO/ TMA geographic boundaries, reducing time it takes to prepare and analyze data, and most importantly allows decisions-making to be based on the latest available data which reflects current trends of travel, traffic and congestion.
To view the regional CMP HUB, click here (when available).
ISSUES
ACCESS MANAGEMENT —
How vehicles access roadways have a major impact on the efficiency and safety of our region’s transportation system. When access is not properly managed, with too many driveways, intersections, or confusing movements, crashes and congestion can increase while quality of life for our residents and visitors can decrease. To guide decisions about access management, the Transportation Research Board developed 10 Principles for Access Management that include limiting access to major roadways, promoting intersection hierarchy, and limiting the number of conflict points, among others. In coordination with PennDOT requirements on state highways, communities are encouraged to develop and implement Access Management Programs which lead to a safer, more efficient transportation system that reduces taxpayer cost and preserves property values. Roadways with properly managed access provide benefits to not just motorists, but also walkers, bikers, and transit users, which makes access management in important aspect in fulfilling the HATS 2050 RTP’s vision.
CONGESTED CORRIDORS —
Because development of the Regional CMP Hub is ongoing, high priority congested corridors and intersections were unavailable for inclusion in the HATS 2050 RTP. As an interim step, Travel Time Index – a typical measure used in congestion management planning and one of the metrics that will be included in the Regional CMP Hub – is used to identify currently congested corridors. Travel Time Index (TTI) measures the severity of corridor’s congestion by comparing the travel time during peak hours to the travel time during free-flow conditions. For the HATS 2050 RTP analysis, both AM and PM peak TTI were examined, with the worse of the two applied to each corridor.
To view the Travel Time Index data, click here for the interactive mapping application.
SAFETY AND CONGESTION —
Safety-related issues and crashes are a key component in the HATS region’s congestion. Crashes, especially those on high volume, high speed roadways and highways cause congestion and delay, reduce travel time reliability, which can increase stress on our region’s motorists. By reducing these crashes and improving the speed with which their immediate impacts are cleared, our region’s roadways and highways can resume normal operation soon, which reduces delay and congestion.
SYSTEMIC OR PROGRAMMATIC CONGESTION MITIGATION —
While some congestion-related problems require physical infrastructure improvements, HATS has had success in employing non-engineering solutions to improve traffic operations in the region. Among these systemic or programmatic mitigation strategies include programs to reduce single occupancy vehicle use (like Commute PA), programs to better manage and clear traffic incidents, TSMO and ITS operational improvements such as those identified in the PennDOT Regional Operations Plan, and traffic signal connection/coordination improvements. The improvements cost effective benefits at a regional scale, especially when used in conjunction with site specific construction improvements along identified bottlenecks and areas of recurring congestion.
ACTIONS
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Program physical construction improvements along corridors or in locations with regionally-significant recurring congestion
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Conduct studies of the corridors and intersections where congestion and safety are of high concern
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Continue working with PennDOT District 8-0, Central Office, and other regional partners to identify and implement operational improvements, including TSMO and ITS projects
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Support Commute PA and other programmatic strategies to encourage alternative modes of transportation