State Transportation Commission adopts Truck Parking Study - Implementation underway
The Truck Parking Study, proposed by PMTA and created by the Transportation Advisory Committee, of which President and CEO Rebecca Oyler serves, is now approved by the State Transportation Commission (STC).
STC voted December 13, 2023 to approve a plan for PennDOT to work as a convener towards the suggestions included in the study.
Oyler served as Chair of the Study Task Force created to draft and implement this study. Other Task Force members are representatives of regional planning agencies, PA General Assembly, local government associations, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), and PennDOT Central Office.
The purpose of the truck parking study was to analyze the need for truck parking in Pennsylvania and recommend a framework for public-private collaboration to address the need.
Multiple U.S. DOT studies and PennDOT studies show demand for truck parking outweighs supply. A shortage of truck parking not only creates safety and security concerns, but has a negative impact on freight mobility and the supply chain.
The study’s goals were to:
- Recommend priority corridors across Pennsylvania that are most in need of truck parking.
- Establish a framework for evaluating potential locations for truck parking.
- Recommend collaborative actions to address barriers that limit truck parking expansion.
Locations
The Task Force developed criteria based on factors that influence truck parking demand and established a scoring system to quantify locations in the Pennsylvania highway network. The Task Force identified 10 locations with the highest scores as having the greatest truck parking need. These are referred to in the study as Tier I Corridors:
· I-76 from US-1 to I-95 in Philadelphia
· I-78 from Exit 49 (PA-100) to PA-NJ state line
· I-79 from Ohio River to Exit 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
· I-81 from Carlisle to Susquehanna River
· I-81 from I-83 to I-78
· I-83 from US-322 to I-81
· I-95 in the Philadelphia area from the Delaware state line to I-276.
· Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) from Exit 57 (US 22) to Exit 75 (I-70)
· Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) from Exit 298 (I-176) to Norristown (I-476)
· Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) from Valley Forge (I-76) to I-95
The Task Force also included a list of Tier II Corridors with the second-highest need for truck parking.
Then, using the list of Tier I Corridors, the Task Force developed criteria to screen for potential truck parking locations. Two or three potential locations for truck parking development were selected for each Tier I Corridor. The study notes this list is intended to be a starting point; Further vetting is needed for each location. Eventually, locations will be identified for Tier II Corridors as well.
Solutions
The study poses the question, “What constrains the private sector from meeting truck parking demand?”
Recommendations are presented to address five main constraints:
- Cost of Real Estate
- Availability of Appropriate Sites
- Community/Quality of Life Concerns
- Municipal/Regulatory
- State and Federal Policy
The 19 recommendations included in the study fall into one of those five categories.
Cost of Real Estate:
1. Reevaluate P3 Opportunities.
2. Develop statewide incentives for providing truck parking.
3. Promote and pursue federal discretionary grants for truck parking.
Availability of Appropriate Sites:
4. Repurpose select state-owned surplus properties.
5. Identify potential sites at a regional level using the TAC methodology.
6. Identify opportunities for shared parking and staging areas for multiple industrial sites.
7. Integrate truck parking with economic development projects.
Community/Quality of Life Concerns:
8. Implement community compatibility best practices.
9. Designate emergency truck parking in appropriate areas.
10. Educate residents about the importance of truck parking.
Municipal/Regulatory
11. Update land use regulations (zoning and subdivision/land development) to include truck parking.
12. Address truck parking in county and local comprehensive plans.
13. Foster municipal involvement.
State and Federal Policy
14. Promote truck parking in national and regional forums.
15. Undertake collaborative problem-solving with adjoining states.
16. Develop a Pennsylvania Truck Parking Handbook.
17. Integrate truck parking into regional planning.
Institutional Initiatives
18. Designate a PennDOT Executive Sponsor for Truck Parking.
19. Establish an Implementation Task Force.
Lastly, the study included information for municipal truck parking regulations detailing why truck parking should be addressed at the municipal level and offering suggestions for governments considering land use regulation changes to address truck parking.
What’s Next?
PennDOT started to create a Task Force for the creation and implementation of a plan to address the truck parking issue in Pennsylvania.
This Implementation Task Force has already started to meet.
Media coverage of the truck parking issue has already garnered the attention of developers.
PMTA staff and Board Members look forward to working with PennDOT, the STC and TAC to finally address the truck parking crisis.
There are several funding opportunities through the federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA). ATA and PMTA sent a letter detailing these funding opportunities to Governor Josh Shapiro. PMTA hopes this study will give PennDOT the resources to justify applying for federal discretionary funds to be used for truck parking projects.
The study is available for viewing here: