Project Overview

FHWA, PennDOT Engineering District 10-0, and the project consultant team are initiating a Purpose and Needs Study for the 18-mile Route 422 Kittanning to Indiana corridor. Please click here for a map of the project area. The completion of this study is one of the first phases of the transportation planning process. Identifying a project’s Purpose and Need is one of the most important components of the transportation planning process. To that end, the project team will be working strategically and with the public’s help to identify this project’s Purpose and Need.

Some of the activities that will occur over the next year to complete the Purpose and Needs Study are:

• Public involvement activities
• Roadway features inventory data collection
• This work will identify the condition of the pavement, shoulders, guiderails, and bridges. It will also identify sight distance problems and access locations (i.e. driveways, cross streets).
• Traffic volume and crash data collection
• This work will identify traffic volumes at various locations along the corridor at both peak and non-peak times. Additionally, an average daily traffic (ADT) volume will be determined. Turning movements at various intersections along the corridor will also be studied.
• This work will identify areas where higher than average crash rates exist and assess probable conditions leading to those rates.
• Origin/destination study
• This work will document current travel patterns along the corridor and determine the percentage of “local” trips versus “regional” trips. It will also document truck travel in the corridor.
• Travel time study
• This work will document average speeds and travel times.
• Current transportation system analysis
• This work will show how the existing corridor is performing under today’s travel demands.
• Current and future land use, planning, socio-economic, and community conditions
• This work will be used to examine the economic and social context of the corridor as it is affected by and affects the transportation network. It will also determine future transportation needs based on likely economic growth in the corridor.
• Environmental features inventory
• This work will document sensitive environmental features such as cemeteries, wells, wetlands, and historical and/or archaeological resources that are present within the corridor.
• Future transportation demand projections
• This work will establish future traffic and travel demands in the corridor for a 20-year design horizon.

Upon completion of the above activities, very thoroughly developed and clearly defined purpose and needs will be formed. This will lead to the generation of a series of problem statements that will be used as a reference in developing prudent, feasible, and practicable solutions. Everyone will be able to evaluate the alternatives presented against the purpose and needs and determine confidently if they meet them.

In preparation for the initiation of the Purpose and Needs Study, some preliminary work has been completed. That work included identifying some of the key issues existing in the corridor, as presented below:

• Higher than average crash rates
• Hilly, wavy, and winding road profiles leading to sight distance problems and unsafe driving/passing conditions
• Heavy truck traffic

If you know of other issues not presented here, please visit the Contact the Project Team page and share your insights and concerns with the project team. Thank you.