Venango County 2004 Comprehensive Development Plan Transportation (Vol.

VII)

Pleasantville Cherrytree Oil Creek

Allegheny

Jackson Cooperstown Canal Utica Frenchcreek Polk Mineral Sugarcreek Oil City Franklin Cranberry Sandycreek Victory Pinegrove Oakland Cornplanter Rouseville President

Rockland

Venango County in the 21st Century

Plum

Barkeyville Irwin

Clintonville Clinton

Scrubgrass

Richland Emlenton

Venango County Regional Planning Commission 191 Howard St. Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814-432-4555 Fax: 814-432-5885 This Plan was partially funded with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Transportation and Circulation

Overview
Venango Countys overland transportation network evolved from Indian paths used for hunting and trapping, farm lanes which linked productive lands to emerging markets, extractive industry haul roads and overland commodity routes. The fact that both rail and river connections throughout the County in the settled areas were developed in conjunction with the timber, mining and oil industries, helped to establish nodes or links in the network early in the Countys history. the rivers. Passable roads were necessary in order to get raw materials to these transportation nodes in the valleys near Logging roads, laid out with curvilinear geometry, to avoid terrain obstructions, and to accommodate changes in elevation, wound through the forested areas along ridge lines and hillsides. The oil industry boom initiated an era of road building to transport labor, machinery, parts and materials for the well drilling rigs which sprang up in the 1860s along Oil Creek. In addition, three (3) new communities were settled by people associated with the newly founded oil industry. Roads to these settlements linked the oil fields and staging areas with businesses and residential neighborhoods in Oil City, Petroleum Center and Pithole City. Two (2) of these boomtowns were gone almost as quickly as they grew, when the extractive resource that fueled the growth began to dwindle. Only Oil City remains today.

These early roads followed established Indian paths to access points along the Allegheny River, and Oil and French Creeks. They also provided access for workers and their families, owners of the land and oil rigs, speculators, businessmen, and opportunists looking action settled areas, for in

these newly

neighborhoods and pockets of commerce. during this period.

Horse and mule drawn box wagons,

Conestogas and two or four person surreys were the principal modes of transportation

A new technique for road building was introduced to developing areas in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states in the 1840s by Canadian immigrants who learned the construction method from Russian engineers. Rather than simply flattening land forms on either side of a path or lane, a series of planks of varying thickness, lengths and widths were laid out in tracks along a widened path requiring hand grading and elevation checks at regular intervals. These plank roads permitted travel during summer months of up to eight (8) miles an hour, which at the time was considered fast. Because repairs were required at five (5) years or less, especially in areas with seasonal weather patterns, and complete replacement of segments at ten (10) year intervals, the costs

outweighed the convenience and most plank roads were converted to gravel and later paved. There are, however, still examples of such roads with original planks, (as of November 2003), in Waterford, Erie County and Altoona, Blair County, two (2) of six (6) locations in Pennsylvania.

Highway
Venango County is served by four (4) major highways that provide access to all abutting counties. o o o o I-80 runs through the southernmost part of the County, providing connection between Mercer and Clarion counties; U.S. Route 62 runs through Franklin and Oil City and provides connection between Mercer and Forest counties; U.S. Route 322 runs through Franklin, providing connection between Crawford and Clarion counties; State Route 8, which goes through Franklin and Oil City and connects Butler and Crawford counties.

Air
Located two (2) miles south of downtown Franklin, the Venango Regional Airport serves Venango County and parts of Northwestern Pennsylvania. The airport is the primary business airport within the I-80/Erie corridor, and supports daily flights to Pittsburgh International Airport. The airport features a 5,200 foot by 150 foot grooved main runway, as well as a 3,700 foot by 100 foot cross wind runway.

Rail1
Norfolk Southern operates the former Conrail route from Pittsburgh, northeast to Meadville and Oil City. It serves approximately eight (8) to ten (10) customers in the Oil City/Franklin area, including the former Pennzoil-Quaker State refinery in Rouseville. Affiliated with the New York and Lake Erie Railroad and Trillium Railway Company, Ltd., OCTL began operating in 1985 between Rouseville and Titusville, and was formerly operated by Conrail. The Oil Creek and Titusville Lines (OCTL) has provided freight service between Rouseville and Titusville to thirteen (13) industrial businesses, ranging from hardwood lumber mills to plastic pipe manufacturing, on seventeen (17) miles of tracks between the two (2) communities.

http://www.octrr.clarion.edu/

The OCTL also operates passenger excursion service for the Oil Creek Railway Historical Society. The Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, a nonprofit organization, provides two and one half (2 ) hour trips through the Oil Creek Valley to not only entertain, but educate travelers about the rich history of the valley. OCTL is considered a line haul carrier, and connects with the Norfolk Southern railroad at Rouseville, providing transportation for a variety of industries including hardwood lumber, plastic resins, sand, petroleum, wax and fertilizer. In addition to providing freight service on this line, OCTL also operates passenger excursion service for the Oil Creek Railway Historical Society. The Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad provides passengers with a 2 hour trip (OC & T RR), taking them on a tour of where the history of oil began. In addition to providing educational and historical tours, the OC & T RR also hosts murder mystery dinner and train rides, and seasonal rides for Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Water
The Allegheny River winds its way through the County and provides many recreational opportunities to visitors and residents alike, although it is not barge navigable north of Oil City.

Characteristics of the Overland Network

In each community profile, the primary transportation facilities providing access to undeveloped land are listed for reference. Most municipalities in Venango County have direct or indirect access to a high volume roadway. These arterial facilities are the links to product markets outside the region and provide access from rural areas in the County to employment centers and commercial destinations sites. Interstate 80, which runs east to west, along the southern tier of the County carries 27,000 Average Weekday Trips (AWDT) on the westernmost segment and about 22,000 trips between the Barkeyville exist and Emlenton Borough, according to the May 2003 PennDOT Type 4 map. This corridor has development potential, however, utility extensions and the treatment capacity of existing systems will be issues. Industrial or commerce park sites in Barkeyville, Clintonville and Emlenton make sense in terms of the regional economy, and the County has already invested money in infrastructure improvements in Barkeyville.

The State Route 8 corridor, oriented generally northeast to southwest, carries between 6,100 and 7,000 Average Weekday Trips from Barkeyville north and between 10,000 and 14,000 AWDT as it nears Franklin and links Franklin and Oil City. The six mile segment between Franklin and Oil City has developed as a mixed use corridor through the last half of the 20th century with light industrial and commercial sites on the Sugarcreek Borough side (north) and industrial sites as well as segments of the Justus and Allegheny Valley Trails along the Allegheny River on the Cranberry Township side (south). There is riverfront development potential in certain locations along this segment of Route 8 which could enhance the economic viability of the entire County. State Route 62, oriented west to east, carries 1,400 Average Weekday Trips on the western perimeter and as many as 15,000 trips on the eastern side of Franklin where it feeds into State Route 8. It carries about 1,900 trips as it moves through President Township, east of Oil City. As State Route 322 enters Canal Township in the West traffic volumes run at about 3,400 Average Weekday Trips and that number grows to about 6,200 as it enters Franklin. As traffic moves east through Venango, Victory, Egypt Corners, Cranberry, Mapleshade and Van, trip counts decrease from 8,900 to 4,800. This corridor could provide access to additional development sites in Cranberry Township as the internal development pressure pushes growth along key transportation facilities. South of the East Sandy Creek, State Route 257 carries about 1,700 Average Weekday Trips, and as other secondary roads intersect at Cranberry and Seneca, this facility carries about 11,000 trips moving northward into Oil City. North of Oil City new Route 227 carries about 2,700 trips to East Shamburg and then about 2,100 trips into Pleasantville. Southeast of Oil City, State Route 157 leaves the State Route 62 corridor and carries about 3,600 Average Weekday Trips east through Coal Hill and Hampton Station, where the traffic volumes decrease to about 2,800 trips. Northeast of Franklin, State Route 417 accommodates as many as 10,000 AWDTs north to Dempseytown and Baums Corners, where about 3,500 trips are carried. The segment intersecting State Route 8 south of Cherry Tree carries about 2,500 trips. While levels-of-service at certain key intersections within some of these corridors have deteriorated as background traffic growth has increased, in order to understand the interior circulation of Venango County, a Roadway Sufficiency Analysis should be

considered.

This tool, an element of the Act 209 legislation, which authorizes the

private/public financing of transportation improvements would be a good investment as the County seeks to guide growth into certain select areas. The analysis will provide elected officials with information needed to establish Designated Growth Areas in areas of the County deemed appropriate for new development. While a Countywide analysis will involve current traffic counts on a significant number of segments and links, the identification of bottlenecks, safety improvements and recommended capacity improvements will enable the County to move forward and guide growth into areas with planned infrastructure improvements. As suggested in the Venango County LDDAP/ARC Intermodal Study, funded through the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, there are several options available for the funding of large scale development projects with transportation components. The creation of a Transportation Partnership District (Act 247 of 1990) which authorizes special assessments to fund transportation projects that benefit collective property owners interests, is one method which has been used in Allegheny County. The adoption of Impact Fees is another option (Act 209 of 1989) which has been successful in high growth areas, however, the growth rate in portions of Venango County may not support this type of program.
OTHER AGENCIES** LINEAR MILES LOCAL MUNICIPAL LINEAR MILES

COUNTY

PA DOT LINEAR MILES

TOTAL LINEAR MILES

Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren

655.4 469.6 909.9 206.5 743.5 529.0 531.4

44.2 12.7 25.9 176.9 8.0 10.3 189.4

1,562.5 945.1 1,497.0 158.0 1,264.9 825.6 611.1

2,266.5 1,427.4 2,432.8 541.4 2,016.4 1,364.9 1,331.9

*Source: PA DOT, Bureau of Planning & Research, Transportation Planning Division **Other Agencies Includes other state and federal agencies such as State Universities, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Department of Education, National Parks and the US Forest Service.

As the chart above indicates, Venango County ranks fifth among the seven contiguous counties in total linear PA DOT roadway miles, higher only than Forest and Warren counties. The local municipalities within the County maintain the most miles of roadway with 825.6, followed by PA DOT maintaining 529 miles.

State roadways within Venango County- classifications

The 529 miles of PA DOT maintained roadways within the County are broken into five (5) maintenance functional classifications, as indicated below: 1. Maintenance Functional Class A (Interstate System)- The Interstate System consists of all presently designated freeway routes meeting the Interstate geometric and construction standards for future traffic. The Interstate System is the highest classification of arterial roads and streets and provides the highest level of mobility, at the highest speed, for a long uninterrupted distance. 2. Maintenance Functional Class B and C (Other Arterials)- These consist of limited-access freeways, multi-lane highways and other important highways supplementing the Interstate System that connect, as directly as practicable, the Nations principal urbanized areas, cities and industrial centers; serve the national defense; and connect at suitable border points with routes of continental importance. 3. Maintenance Functional Class D (Collectors)- The collectors provide land access service and traffic circulation within residential neighborhoods, commercial and industrial areas and downtown city centers. Collectors connect local roads and streets with arterials and provide less mobility than arterials at lower speeds and for a shorter distance. 4. Maintenance Functional Class E (Locals)- The local roads and streets provide a high level of access to abutting land but limited mobility. The 529 miles of PA DOT maintained roadways in the County are divided into the functional classes as follows: Class A 14.7 miles Class B 68.6 miles Class C 87.6 miles Class D 305.7 miles Class E 52.4 miles Total Miles 529.0

*Source: PA DOT, Bureau of Planning & Research, Transportation Planning Division

Travel Jurisdiction
The PA DOT Bureau of Planning and Research, Transportation Planning Division, provides a breakdown of DVMTs for all counties in the Commonwealth. DVMT is the abbreviation for Daily vehicle miles of travel, which is a measure of total travel by all vehicles within each county in the Commonwealth. The table below details

the DVMT counts for Venango and the other contiguous counties, based on the most recent statistics from 2002 PA DOT Highway Statistics. OTHER AGENCIES DVMT 44,126 12,687 25,874 176,703 8,012 10,240 189,240 LOCAL MUNCIPAL DVMT 595,615 186,039 289,654 21,171 479,989 224,832 142,442

COUNTY Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren

PA DOT DVMT 3,901,583 1,528,684 1,949,279 168,659 3,178,477 1,433,438 931,528

TOTAL DVMT 4,654,156 1,727,410 2,264,807 366,533 3,666,478 1,668,510 1,263,210

The National Highway System

The PA DOT Bureau of Planning and Research, Transportation Planning Division, also provides a breakdown of the linear miles and DVMTs for the National Highway System for all counties in the Commonwealth. The National Highway System (NHS) is comprised of principal arterial and Interstate routes which serve major population centers and intermodal transportation facilities. The table below details the mileage and travel for Venango and the other contiguous counties, based on the most recent statistics from 2002 PA DOT Highway Statistics.
COUNTY STATE LINEAR MILES TURNPIKE LINEAR MILES LOCAL MUNICIPAL LINEAR MILES TOTAL LINEAR MILES TOTAL DVMT

Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren

100.4 61.0 60.4 14.1 87.8 83.1 79.4

4.4 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

100.8 61.0 60.4 14.1 87.8 83.1 79.4

1,968,340 943,087 762,355 32,840 1,654,128 794,072 466,807

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District Offices

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportations (PennDOT) Engineering District 1-0 office is located in Oil City and serves six counties: Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango and Warren. The

PennDOT Maintenance Office for Venango County is located in Franklin on Pittsburgh Road.

Travel Safety
The PA DOT Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering, Crash Information and Analysis Division, publishes the Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics, which is a report that provides a statistical review of reportable motor vehicle accidents in the Commonwealth. The most recent edition available is for the 2000 calendar year, and these figures were compiled from the traffic reports submitted to PA DOT by state, county, municipal and other law enforcement agencies. The following table compares the number and types of accidents for Venango and the other contiguous counties, based on the most recent statistics from 2000 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics.

COUNTY Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren

FATAL CRASHES 27 8 20 3 29 15 5

INJURY CRASHES 1,199 383 620 50 1,018 435 253

PDO CRASHES* 887 274 466 38 697 363 220

TOTAL CRASHES 2,113 665 1,106 91 1,744 813 478

*PDO stands for Property Damage Only

The Bureau also supplies information to compare the crashes by county and traffic deaths, looking at five year trends for each. The tables below provide this information for Venango and the other contiguous counties.

. . . . . . . . .
COUNTY Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren 1996 CRASHES 1,923 598 1,118 83 1,655 815 602 1997 CRASHES 2,171 632 1,123 97 1,670 755 524 1998 CRASHES 1,962 546 1,056 99 1,647 732 478

Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

1999 CRASHES 1,968 585 1,058 86 1,578 726 510

2000 CRASHES 2,113 665 1,106 91 1,744 813 478

COUNTY Butler Clarion Crawford Forest Mercer Venango Warren

1996 DEATHS 28 14 17 0 23 16 19

1997 DEATHS 27 10 15 2 24 15 7

1998 DEATHS 25 12 16 2 19 10 9

1999 DEATHS 18 9 24 2 12 15 11

2000 DEATHS 32 10 23 3 40 16 7

The fact that almost sixty percent (60%) of all roadways in Venango County function as rural collectors which link small town neighborhoods, and commercial/industrial areas to high volume arterials, means that the County has access deficiencies. Class D collectors are not designed to provide high volume access to destination sites. They are typically two (2) lane roadways with vertical and horizontal curvature problems, which are shorter in length than freeways. The Interstate 80 corridor which traverses the southern perimeter of the Countyoriented west to east, is accessible to Barkeyville, Clintonville and Emlenton. Opportunities for the development of regional industrial sites at or near the interchange areas of these three (3) communities can be increased by the extension of public utilities from existing systems in each community. Barkeyville Borough has been targeted for infrastructure improvements and will continue to be an option for industrial development in the near future.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

Regional Circulation Study

In October of 2001, the Local Development District Association of Pennsylvania (LDDAP) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) prepared an Intermodal Study for the Commonwealth. This study, conducted by Gannett Fleming, was for the purpose of reviewing the intermodal transportation needs of several of the Commonwealths priority Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZs). The Northwest Regional Planning and Development Commission (NWRPDC), formed in 1967, is the designated Local Development District (LDD) for Venango County, in addition to Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer and Warren Counties. The NWRPDC selected three KOZ sites for intermodal analysis: 1. Titusville Opportunity Park 2. Keystone Regional Industrial Park 3. Shenango Valley Industrial Park In the study, the NWRPDC identified a number of transportation routes that provide transportation to the Northwest Regional, several of which cross through Venango County. The nearest KOZ is the Titusville Opportunity Park, located along State Route 8 on the Crawford/Venango County border. While none of the three KOZs are physically located in Venango County, routes such as I-80, U.S Routes 322 and 62 and State Route 8 could possibly play an important role in the transportation and delivery of goods and services. Additionally, the Venango Regional Airport was identified as a provider of commercial, passenger and airfreight service for the region, which again, may play an important role in the transportation and delivery of goods and services. The primary focus, according to the study, was to determine transportation improvements that would promote and enhance economic development in the three (3) Northwest region KOZ sites. Even though Venango County had no KOZ site in the study, the impact of broad-scale improvements, as stated in the study, have the ability to improve the business climate for the entire Northwest region and the businesses and industries found within.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

Within the regional recommendations formulated by Gannet Flemming (NWRPDC Intermodal Study, page 40), there were proposed initiatives, which were the result of several meetings with representative businesses in the region. These businesses provided their perspective on the transportation and economic development issues found in the region, and resulted in the identification of several regional transportation initiatives that would provide significant economic development benefits to the region should they be implemented. The proposed initiatives included the creation of a freight movement task force to look at ways to improve goods movement in the Northwest region, based on the fact that there is substantial freight movement and related opportunities in the region.

Target Corridor
The six (6) mile segment of State Route 8 carrying more than fourteen (14,000) Average Week Day Trips can be equated to a regional Main Street. While both of the communities to the east and west of this roadway segment have established downtown areas and have attempted to promote them, properties have developed abutting the Main Street rights-of-way. Whereas the view shed along this segment of Route 8 is unique and exploitable as a County asset. With the Allegheny River running through the valley adjacent to this transportation facility, and with access to the riverfront, a mix of commercial, recreational and residential development is a possibility. The Venango County Economic Development Corporation has indicated that there are brownfield sites along this corridor where former industrial uses once dominated. Because of the proliferation of areas on former industrial properties used for unmonitored waste disposal, research needs to be done concerning remediation of certain sites if targeted as potential development or redevelopment projects.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004 Housing and Urban Development
Brownfields Tax Incentive Zone Actual Potential

Environmental Protection Agency

Air Releases Brownfields Pilots Discharges to Water Hazardous Waste Generator Hazardous Waste Handlers Superfund Sites Toxic Releases

One suggestion which came out of the work sessions identified a national outfitter or a sportsmen supply company as a good fit within the corridor. A company like Cabellos or Gander Mountain could become a destination site along this segment of State Route 8 with appropriate planning and marketing. A regionally scaled use with the emphasis on outdoor activities, the sale of clothing, and equipment can provide the impetus for the development of other uses, which supplement or support an accessible large scale outfitter. Restaurants, motels and river-oriented recreation activities would be land uses which enhance a high profile specialty retail facility. The backdrop of the wooded hillsides rising from the valley floor on the south side of the Allegheny River channel creates an attractive setting within this transportation corridor. Carefully planned mixed-use development could provide an impetus for redevelopment in both Franklin and Oil City. The traffic volumes are already there along this segment, so the preparation of a Corridor Design program which includes work elements relating to access, mixed-use, landscaping, underground utilities, stormwater

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

management and common architectural themes could result in new employment opportunities for County residents.

Route 257
A Route 257 Steering Committee was formed in 2002 to review the traffic issues relative to Route 257. The Route 257 Land Use/Transportation study is evaluating both existing and future land uses in order to better guide future development by applying access management practices. The study area begins near Pin Oak School to the north, and ends at the intersection with Route 322. Route 257 is a much used highway that provides access to the Cranberry Mall and a number of medical and dental clinics, in addition to several schools. Traffic will increase once the construction of the UMPC Northwest Medical Center is completed. Transportation studies are also being proposed for four (4) other potential development corridors in the County, which are: o o o o Liberty at 15th to Rt. 62 in Oil City and East 2nd Street in Franklin Routes 257 and 322 I-80 interchanges Rt. 8 beginning at Liberty Street and 15th Street in Franklin to the point where Rt. 8 turns into four (4) traffic lanes

Alternative Development Corridors

There are a number of other transportation corridors within Venango County with development potential. Several segments of Route 8 offer potential development opportunities which would be enhanced with public water and sanitary sewerage improvements. The segment south of Franklin providing access to the County Airport carries traffic volumes appropriate for expanded industrial or mixed use development as does the segment out of Oil City to Rouseville. State Route 62 entering Franklin from the northwest and certain segments of State Route 257 in Cranberry Township (currently being studied) also have development potential. A review of current zoning and subdivision and land development regulations in effect along these target corridors should precede the crafting of local development initiatives. Because of the characteristics of the entire Countys circulation network,

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

segments carrying the highest volumes of traffic currently will dictate to some extent the development potential of land accessible from these transportation facilities.

Transportation and Circulation Summary

o o o Venango County owns and maintains only 10.3 linear miles of roadways of the total of 1,364.9 linear miles countywide. Only Forest and Warren Counties of the six (6) counties contiguous to Venango County, have fewer total miles of roadways. Only Forest and Clarion Counties in the region have fewer miles of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation owned and maintained roadways. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the total linear miles of roadways in the County are Class D collectors. Interchange areas within the State Route 80 corridor present industrial or mixed-use development opportunities. Because of the characteristics of the Countys transportation network, Venango County reports a relatively high number of vehicle crashes on an annual basis.

o o o

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
GOAL No. 1 - To sustain the highest quality of rural, suburban and urban life for the residents of Venango County. 3. To promote alternatives to residential and commercial strip development along major highways, such as Routes 8, 62, 257 and 322 and to encourage scenic roadways on various state and local roads in rural areas Immediate Priority Limit driveway access on Routes 8, 62, 257 and 322, through municipal land use regulations, in order to prevent strip development in these corridors. - Municipal Governments. Limit driveway access onto local collector streets in order to prevent strip development, by means of local land use regulations (i.e. shared driveways, service roads, etc.). - Planning Commission and Municipal Governments. Short Range Priority Establish development standards which require vegetative buffering along arterial and collector streets. - Municipal Governments.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

Enact development regulations which provide incentives to private developers to cluster development along arterial and collector streets. - County and Municipal Governments. Long Range Priority Designate significant land areas fronting on arterial and collector roads as Scenic Areas within Resource Protection Areas. Municipal Governments. GOAL No. 3 - To promote conditions providing for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Venango County. 5. To manage planned developments along major highways such as Routes 8, 257, 62 and 322. Short Range Priority Work with municipalities to amend local land use regulations to encourage development design, which limits road access and clusters development projects fronting these major transportation corridors. - Planning Commission Prepare a Corridor Design Manual which emphasizes parallel access roads, underground utilities and sign regulations for areas designated for preservation, transition or growth. Planning Commission and Oil Region Alliance. 6. To systematically identify traffic hazards and problems and address these traffic issues cooperatively within a regional framework. Immediate Priority Prioritize recommended safety improvement projects based upon available accident information data. - Planning Commission, PennDot and Emergency Services. Identify problem areas and other hazardous locations on the basis of interviews, PennDot records, municipal experience and knowledge of construction or design deficiencies. - Municipal Governments. Short Range Priority Continue participation in the Regional Transportation Planning Activities sponsored by the Northwest Regional Planning and Development Commission. - Planning Commission Long Range Priority Work with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to improve Route 8, Interstate 80, Routes 62, 257, 322 and other

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Venango County, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Development Plan February 2004

state roads. - Planning Commission and Municipal Governments. 7. To study the feasibility of an expanded regularly scheduled public transportation system for the county. Short Range Priority Undertake a systematic public transportation feasibility plan that assesses the need and viability for additional fixed route public transportation. - Planning Commission and VCOEO. GOAL No. 5 - To provide equal opportunities for all residents to obtain meaningful employment. 3. To identify and make known public sector improvements and facilities necessary for desired business development. Immediate Priority Support improvements to the runway at the Venango Regional Airport in order to accommodate regional jet aircraft. County Commissioners and Municipal Governments. Protect the area near the Venango Regional Airport from construction inconsistent with preserving current and future runway safety zones. Planning Commission and Municipal Governments. Short Range Priority Undertake a comprehensive infrastructure needs assessment throughout the County in order to identify areas for new facilities and the improvement of existing facilities and initiate planning for these specific infrastructure improvements. - County Government.

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