The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) has approved a four-year, $4.7 billion Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), covering projects between 2027 and 2030.
The commission updates its TIP every few years to guide development and ensure investments are being efficiently used. The programs serve as core components of the SPC’s broader 25-year long-range vision for regional growth, infrastructure and transportation. With the documents approved, the commission has a clear direction for priority projects, guiding what needs to be repaired, built, replaced or rehabilitated over the next four years.
The TIP has split its budget across two main sectors: $2.7 billion for public transit initiatives and $2 billion for highway and bridge projects. The Public Transit TIP primarily focuses on system operations and reliability, including transit systems for buses, bus facilities, rail, maintenance, stations and safety measures. The Highway and Bridge TIP prioritizes infrastructure, targeting the most urgent roadway needs to extend the lives of essential transit structures and facilities.
In total, the budget includes a little more than $1 billion for transit operations across the region. This include spending $260 million to buy 318 buses and 141 shared-ride vehicles, $179 million for bus and rail maintenance and $90 million to build stations and park-and-ride lots.
To enhance overall infrastructure conditions, the TIP includes an $880 million investment to fix and maintain bridges and roadway infrastructure – with $235 million going toward locally owned bridges. The commission will replace or rehabilitate 111 bridges in poor condition, dropping their numbers by 13%. Plans include improving 28 weight-restricted bridges. For roadway infrastructure, the commission included $262 million to extend the life of roads in good condition, repairing 141 miles of non-interstate highways.
Another $750 million will support 132 projects within one mile of regional freight facilities. Out of that amount, $545 million will be used for initiatives on the identified freight network. The commission will issue an additional $286 million to improve transit safety. These projects will upgrade intersections, roundabouts, guiderails, pavement markings and warning signs. Other distributions will include:
- $244 million to address high-crash locations.
- $87 million for landslide remediation.
- $4 million to improve railroad crossings.
The TIP includes a $196 million investment to enhance transportation operations and efficiency to ensure system reliability for decades. Projects included in this category include traffic improvements at intersections, signal improvements, Intelligent Transportation system communications and freeway service. The commission has tacked on $23.6 million to upgrade signals across the region.
Plans include allocating more than $120 million to reduce emissions and relieve congestion through the SPC Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. The SPC will also provide:
- $71.2 million to improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
- $43.9 million for economic development.
- $42.6 million for flood mitigation and retaining walls.
Photo by K from Pexels
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