The federal government is giving Pennsylvania a down payment to plan how to best adapt to and mitigate climate change locally.

In Harrisburg on Friday, state and federal officials said Pennsylvania will get about $6 million to create priority climate action plans.

The commonwealth will receive up to a $3 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant through the program set up by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission will each also get a grant of up to $1 million.

Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Rich Negrin said the money will jumpstart the state’s blueprint for a safer and cleaner future.

He noted some cities already have climate action plans. The state plans to use the new money to work with communities across the commonwealth.

“We’re talking about some of those counties, some of those municipalities that don’t live in that space, don’t have the staff, don’t have the resources to do a real meaningful comprehensive climate plan. This should allow them to do that,” Negrin said.

Adam Ortiz, Region 3 Administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency, said Pennsylvania represents many sectors of the country, from energy production to agriculture.

“If Pennsylvania can figure out climate change here, America can figure out climate change anywhere,” Ortiz said.

The resulting plans can include things like installing air quality monitoring systems, plugging old oil and gas wells, or converting school bus fleets to electric vehicles.

The plans will make the state eligible for grants from a pool of $4.6 billion to carry out the work.

“The planning dollars need to come to fruition in a plan and a project that just makes sense, that you’re identifying a significant need, and you’re driving the right resources to that need to make a difference and hopefully measure some outcomes,” Negrin said.

Read the full article at stateimpact.npr.org

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Rich Negrin joined Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz, PENNVEST Chairman Dr. Brian Regli, and local government partners to celebrate Earth Month and highlight the partnership between federal, state, and local governments to fight climate change.

Pennsylvania opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The program provides grants to state and local government entities to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible for grants from the $4.6 billion pool established by the IRA and administered by the EPA.

“We are here to celebrate Earth Month but also acknowledge the great partnerships we have to protect Pennsylvania’s clean air and pure water. Rising to meet the climate challenge is more than just a state government problem, or a federal government problem, or a local government problem,” said Acting Secretary Negrin. “All climate change is local. It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us.”

“Climate change is not a problem that sprang up overnight and is surely not one that will be fixed in a day,” said Administrator Ortiz. “Addressing the climate crisis takes real plans, real dollars, real will, and real work – and Pennsylvania has all of the above.”

“PENNVEST is looking forward making investments into reducing climate change. This is another step in the process — helping communities across Pennsylvania implement their own climate plans to lower emissions and mitigate and adapt to climate change,” said Dr. Brian Regli. “Pennsylvania has always been an industrial leader, with smart investments we can again lead the way on climate change and carbon pollution reduction.”

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission have all opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. Pennsylvania will receive up to a $3 million planning grant through the program; the regional planning commissions will receive up to $1 million planning grants.

“Greater Philadelphia is committed to attaining net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and preparing our communities for the impacts of climate change,” said Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Ariella Maron. “The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant will enable us to develop a plan that will guide future policy and investment decisions that are both equitable and sustainable. DVRPC is proud to lead this planning effort for our region.”

“We have a monumental opportunity to protect and improve our land, water and air. We must ensure that quality and availability of these resources is available now and into the future. Addressing our climate crisis is going to require the kind of planning and response that can only be accomplished through a multi-governmental partnership. It’s a practical, innovative path to the best possible outcomes,” said Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley.

Read the full article at pennwatch.org

Pennsylvania is getting a boost in the fight against climate change with some extra funding.

On Friday, state officials came together to celebrate Earth Month and highlight federal, state and local governments’ partnership to fight climate change, according to a release.

“All climate change is local. It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us,” said Rich Negrin, acting secretary for the Department of Environmental Protection.

Pennsylvania opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), earlier in April.

The program provides grants to state and local government entities to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible for grants from a $4.6 billion pool established by the IRA and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Climate change is not a problem that sprang up overnight and is surely not one that will be fixed in a day,” said Adam Ortiz, Region 3 administrator, EPA. “Addressing the climate crisis takes real plans, real dollars, real will and real work – and Pennsylvania has all of the above.”

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission have all opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.

Pennsylvania will receive up to a $3 million planning grant through the program; the regional planning commissions will receive up to $1 million in planning grants.

Read the full article at yourerie.com

It certainly would be no mere play on words to say one particular matter in East Franklin Township hits close to home for Larry Richardson.

An ongoing sense of urgency expressed by many to make safer the State Route 422/Glade Run Road intersection in the municipality is understood and appreciated more than most by people such as Richardson, the municipality’s zoning officer, who resides not far from the junction that counts at least one traffic-related fatality in recent years.

“I use it at least once or twice a day,” said Richardson during Thursday’s monthly public meeting of East Franklin Township’s board of supervisors.

It was with that in mind that Richardson, acting in place of township Supervisor David Stewart at the meeting until he arrived, delivered the latest update on efforts largely spearheaded by 16-year-old Gracie Elosser to pursue safety enhancements at the intersection.

Since a deadly accident on July 3, 2021, at the site that led to the death of Kenneth Robert Shaffer, 60, who was killed in a motorcycle accident after hitting a truck there, Elosser has been routinely attending township meetings and offering her opinion that the intersection is a danger to drivers.

With Elosser once again present at the board’s most recent meeting proceeding, Richardson detailed plans by Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation (PennDOT) District 10 to move forward with related efforts to make passing through the junction less of a risk for motorists.

“At the present time, there is a project out to correct the pavement and do painting on the pavement (at the intersection),” he said.

The state agency intends to apply painted traffic warnings known as optical speed bars, which would be designed to more efficiently catch the eyes of motorists in an effort to make them aware of the need to curtail their speed as they approach the intersection, he said.

“The lines (would) start about 1,000 feet out, go the whole way across the highway and they increase in volume as you get near the intersection,” Richardson said. “So the closer you get to the intersection, the faster you look like you’re going, and hopefully, they say, that will slow people down.”

PennDOT also intends to place a device known as a speed minder, which would rest on a portable trailer near the intersection, for every four to six weeks starting in April, he said.

“They’re going to put it there for four to five days at a time, either Monday through Friday or Friday through Monday,” Richardson said. “They hope to do that starting in April for five to six months, which would take them in to September. So it’s during the spring and summer.”

In addition, a plan is in play to rectify the positioning of stop signs at the intersection.

“There are two stop signs, and they are either coming from the Fox Hollow side or the Glade Run side on the north side, one you come up on it straight ahead, and one’s to the right,” Richardson said.

PennDOT also told Richardson a work order is in the works to better position stop signs directing traffic at the site.

“Hopefully that’ll all start soon,” he said.

Referencing a road safety audit conducted on the intersection by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), Richardson said one of the options PennDOT also would be to allow traffic flow at the site only to motorists turning right.

“They’d put a concrete barrier down the medial strip so you can’t go straight across and you can’t make a left-hand turn,” he said.

PennDOT has also requested that Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) trooper from Troop D, Kittanning, be assigned to sit at the site and evaluate speed via radar. Another option, according to Richardson, would be for PennDOT to install high-resistance pavement to help motorists quickly stopping their vehicles maintain control.

When given the chance to ask questions, Elosser questioned when all the aforementioned work would commence, to which the answers remained vague. “I was told today there are many, many more intersections in the state of Pennsylvania that are more dangerous than that one,” Richardson said.

View the full article at leadertimes.com

The New Castle Area Transit Authority will be looking to better market itself and its services over the next couple of years.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission presented the marketing plan for the authority for fiscal years 2022-2025 during the authority’s board meeting in March. The SPC helped work on the plan with the authority.

The marketing plan is part of the implementation of the PennDOT Act 44 performance review action plan originally outlined in the NCATA performance system review report of 2018.

The authority will work to market to commuters who ride between three and five days a week, workers, students in high school and college, senior citizens and people with disabilities, as well as tourists.

The plan calls for information on authority services to be available at Visit Lawrence County in downtown New Castle, as well as at different events, fairs and festivals, which the authority could offer rides to and from.

The plan suggests continuing its partnership with Pittsburgh Regional Transit, getting more commitment to the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, having different marketing and outreach activities, creating a marketing committee and including the public in those discussions, having conversations with schools and employers about potential partnerships, developing a summer pass program, having a customer loyalty or satisfaction program, strengthening its partnership with Allied Coordinated Transportation Services, investing in real-time bus tracking technology for riders and advertising more on the buses and park-and-ride facilities.

Authority General Manager David Richards said the NCATA partners with Pittsburgh Regional Transit to allow its buses to come in and out of Pittsburgh multiple times a day. He said if the authority ever wanted to expand its services in Pittsburgh, they have a good working relationship to start the conversation.

“They’ve been very good to work with,” Richards said.

Richards noted expansion in Pittsburgh all depends on ridership, as he said the authority is waiting for bus demand to Pittsburgh to increase. The authority went from eight buses a day to Pittsburgh before the pandemic to four.

“During COVID, our ridership to Pittsburgh dropped dramatically,” Richards said.

Regarding partnerships, New Castle Area School District students who do not have access to school buses are able to get rides to and from school, while the authority has trips to and from New Wilmington, which can help students at Westminster College.

Richards said there are more possibilities for additional partnerships in the future.

He also said the authority is working with PennDOT to potentially have a “Transit Appreciation Day” in which riders ride for free during the day.

The plan suggests strategies to implement these goals, which include more brochures and posters, presentations from the staff, revamping its website, utilizing roadside billboards and social media, newsletters and more advertising. The marketing budget could go from $35,000 to $60,000 or even up to $120,000.

The authority is working on an “on-demand” public transportation model, similar to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, that would allow passengers to be picked up and dropped off at specific locations.

Richards said that program is still in the works, with the authority preparing to submit a funding proposal to PennDOT for help with implementation.

The plan states the authority previously conducted an onboard fixed-route passenger survey in January 2022 to gain customer feedback.

“We did find out some good information,” Richards said.

The survey states 71.8 percent of participants were satisfied with the fixed-route service with 84.2 percent stating they will continue using the fixed-route service.

A total of 66.2 percent of those surveyed said they had no other means of transportation.

Bus garage payments approved

During its March meeting, the board approved the second round of payments for the NCATA’s planned storage garage at 410 Hobart St.

The payments were $327,180.78 in general trades work to Washington County-based Fleeher Contracting LLC and $3,420 in HVAC work to Central Heating & Plumbing.

An 18-bus, 18,360- square foot garage will be built at the site of the former Castle Brand Building.

All but $30,000 of the $5,620,715 project will be paid for using federal and state grants already secured.

View the full article at ncnewsonline.com

Brackenridge Councilman Dino Lopreiato said a new half-mile walking trail through the borough will do more than create recreational opportunities.

“It will showcase some of the nicest river views in Western Pennsylvania,” he said.

“People will be able to walk or ride a bike, and, hopefully, it will encourage residents to get out and enjoy our beautiful park.”

Work kicked off this week on the trail segment, which is part of the larger, 33-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail operated by the nonprofit Friends of the Riverfront.

The $445,000 project is nearly seven years in the making.

Stretching from Mile Lock Lane to Morgan Street, it will link other pending trail sections in Harrison and Tarentum.

When completed, it will be part of the path from Erie to Pittsburgh.

Construction will be paid for by three grants: $100,000 from the Allegheny County Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund; $60,400 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and close to $285,000 from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

Crews have begun marking and digging the portion of the walkway that will be built along First Avenue on the grassy side of the guiderail.

Work is expected to take about two weeks.

An asphalt trail will be complemented by a split-rail fence for added safety, and native plants will be added.

A second phase of work will create a designated path through Brackenridge Memorial Park.

Both sections of the trail are expected to be completed this year.

Courtney Mahronich Vita, director of trail development for Friends of the Riverfront, said that while the trail is relatively short, it carries a mighty role.

“Building out the Three Rivers Heritage Trail Network in Allegheny County is challenging, but every foot and half-mile addition makes a difference in closing the gaps,” she said.

“Friends is excited to see this trail segment become a reality.”

Work in Brackenridge will someday link with other planned trails, stretching the path onward to Freeport in one direction and Millvale in the other.

Borough officials said they favor the idea of urging walkers and bikers to use the trail and not the road.

Lopreiato said he believes the trail will draw a wider audience to town.

“I look forward to walkers and riders traveling through town and discovering it,” he said.

View the full article at triblive.com

The fate of the Charles Anderson Bridge in Oakland was shaping up to be another embarrassment for the struggling Gainey administration — but Mr. Gainey’s apparent deal with state and federal agencies to accelerate a full rehabilitation of the span, if it is seen through, may turn out to be a welcome example of effective leadership from Grant Street. The bridge carries the Boulevard of the Allies over Panther Hollow.

PennDOT rebuilt the Fern Hollow Bridge in under a year due to the city’s emergency declaration, which allowed design and construction to proceed in parallel. Because the Charles Anderson has been on the decrepit list for so long, much of the preparatory work is already complete. By moving funding up the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s priority list, at least a year may be cut off the construction schedule. This means the city is canceling its remedial repairs and will keep the bridge closed for the duration of the full rehab.

In the morbid discussion of city-owned bridges with inspection results similar to, or even worse than, the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge, the Charles Anderson Bridge was always near the top of the list. Pittsburghers’ fears were confirmed when the city closed the bridge on an emergency basis on Feb. 1.

Mr. Gainey attempted to dodge responsibility for a postponement of rehab funding for the span. Mayor Bill Peduto’s 2022 capital budget projected $3 million in spending on the Charles Anderson in 2023, but Mr. Gainey’s 2023 capital budget pushed that projection back an entire year. The mayor attributed this to a postponement by the SPC transportation planning agency — but he sits on the executive committee of the commission. A Post-Gazette investigation later revealed that Mr. Gainey has an extremely poor attendance record at SPC meetings.

Mr. Gainey pleaded that Mr. Peduto’s $3 million plans for the bridge were merely a “projection” and not an “allocation,” but this is wordplay: The fact remains that the plans were delayed on his watch.

Securing a deal to expedite the bridge’s reconstruction, however, would reverse this mistake and maybe build some positive momentum for the floundering administration.

There are still unanswered questions about just how expedited the process will be. At the meeting where City Council approved the preliminary funding, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure director Kim Lucas would only commit to “before 2027” for a completion date. Since 2027 was when construction was supposed to happen under the original 2022 SPC plan, with bids going out mid-2025, Pittsburghers who use this vital connection are right to want a more specific commitment.

Further, early statements from the city misstated the nature of its own agreement with state and federal agencies, another sign of amateurism in the mayor’s office.

But let’s dwell on the positive: Mr. Gainey’s office effectively advocated for city infrastructure in the labyrinthine state and federal funding process. It’s a success we need to see the mayor repeat many times in the years to come.

Read the full article at post-gazette.com.

McKeesport was recently approved to receive $500,000 in preliminary engineering funds for repairs to the Versailles Avenue bridge. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission awarded the funds through its Transportation Improvement Program. The initiative will utilize over $5.6 billion in state, federal and local funds to improve transportation systems over the next four years.

Read the full article at monvalleyindependent.com

Built in 1939, the Charles Anderson Bridge has been slated for an overhaul for years. The city’s 2016 capital budget allocated $750,000 for preliminary engineering work. In the years that followed, projected allocations and timelines for the project changed repeatedly. Money for the project was earmarked in capital budgets over the next three years, with an allocation that grew to $3.3 million by 2019, but that wasn’t spent down.

The city convened public meetings in 2019, but the coronavirus pandemic slowed the work. Even so, in January 2022 the city was able to offer a proposed design for the bridge’s rehabilitation. The $48 million overhaul would preserve the bridge’s historic nature, allow for better passage of large Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses and school buses,while providing wider sidewalks for pedestrians and a separate cycle track for people on bikes.

And the project gained new momentum this winter, when PennDOT and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission stepped in.

Most infrastructure funding comes from the federal government, which doesn’t just write checks directly to Pittsburgh. Instead, the money must go to a Metropolitan Planning Organization, which the feds task with planning out transportation priorities for urban regions. For Pittsburgh and the surrounding 10-county region, that organization is called the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, or SPC. For a project to move ahead, it has to be on SPC’s to-do list, which is assembled every year.

“It’s a living document,” said Andy Waple, deputy executive director for SPC’s programs division.

That to-do list, called the Transportation Implementation Plan, gets amended every month by the SPC’s Transportation Technical Committee, a group of planners and engineers who know how to get projects out the door.

At its regular meeting last week, the committee moved the Charles Anderson Bridge up the priority list, and allotted money to it.

Waple said that happened when PennDOT alerted the committee that it could move funds from the state’s Bridge Investment Fund, powered with money from the federal infrastructure bill. He said PennDOT took that step thanks to advocacy from the mayor’s office.

Waple said such allocation changes happen all the time. And in fact, if money isn’t directed to priorities, “We won’t receive as much federal money in the future and … that money can be taken away.”

Read the full article at wesa.com.

Rob Brandegee picked up and moved to Pittsburgh’s Strip District to enjoy its convenience and bustling city living atmosphere.

For the growing population of Strip District residents like him, it’s not uncommon to take a walk and run into friends and acquaintances.

“It’s very sociable, and it really has a neighborhood vibe,” said Brandegee.

Brandegee relocated from Highland Park to the Strip in 2021. Part of the appeal was how easy it is to reach South Side-based Little Earth Productions, the company he co-founded that manufactures licensed apparel and accessories, like the Terrible Towel, for professional and college teams. He loves the mix of Strip District residents ranging from young professionals to middle-aged and older.

On Smallman, the iconic Produce Terminal – a string of connected warehouses that opened up a portion of the docks to independent retailers, bakers and craftspeople – has been transformed into The Terminal, a bright, glossy shopping center. Vibrantly painted steps lead to businesses like Aslin Beer Company, Mayweather Boxing & Fitness and Posman’s Books, just a few blocks from long-time fixtures like Salem’s Market & Grill, Robert Wholey & Co. Fish Market and Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.

Several food and entertainment spots within the Terminal are expected to open this spring and summer, including the music venue City Winery, Novo Asian Food Hall, and Puttshack, as well as office space for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

Mohamed Yassin likes to visit the Strip District once or twice a week. For the doctor specializing in infectious diseases at nearby UPMC Mercy in Uptown, dropping by the neighborhood is easy.

“I think it’s the heart of Pittsburgh,” the Fox Chapel resident said. “Even just walking around, it makes you feel like part of Pittsburgh. My wife and I will go to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. to get olives and cheeses. We will stop by the bakery and get some nice bread. Then we take the car up to Mount Washington to see the view. So this place really means a lot to me.”

Dan Adamski, senior managing director of JLL Pittsburgh, noted that commercial construction “is almost completely halted.”

Adamski said the Strip District has a “wow factor” that attracts highly sought-after talent who can live, bike and walk and visit new restaurants and brew pubs.

“That’s what companies in the post-covid world are seeking,” Adamski said. “If you have an office, it can’t be the old, beige cube farm. It’s a confluence of a bunch of attractive factors that, if you’re a company looking for a space, you look at the Strip District.”

Read the full article at triblive.com