December 4, 2023 − Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and PennDOT Secretary Mike Caroll joined key stakeholders in the Lehigh Valley last week for a major transportation projects roundtable to take account of timeline, safety and funding. Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Becky Bradley, presented to the group.
“The Lehigh Valley is the fastest-growing region in the commonwealth, and we cannot safely accommodate continuing increased traffic without improving our infrastructure. We brought bipartisan regional and state leaders here last week to become aligned on our required needs to fund these projects,” said Miller.
“I thank Senator Miller for inviting me to meet with Lehigh Valley elected officials to discuss transportation issues,” Carroll said. “We will work together to identify future needs on corridors like Route 22 in Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as keeping current projects moving along.”
For this roundtable, participants focused on major areas of concern for constituents. Firstly, the group discussed an increasingly pressing study of Route 22. Miller had previously secured up to $1 million for a study about how to ease and divert congestion, increase safety and quicken travel.
“We must continue to make strategic investments in our infrastructure,” added Miller. “I know the updating of Route 22 has been a long and exhausting conversation, but I am confident we are moving in the right direction.”
The group also discussed major project updates, including 309 at Center Valley Parkway Interchange, Tilghman Street at 309 Interchange, Hill-to-Hill Bridge and 512 Interchange at Route 22, as well as transit options and opportunities, including a rapid bus transit deployment system and a path to light rail within the Lehigh Valley.