Through the 1990s, several regional planning organizations and PENNDOT conducted a number of surveys that measured and documented the growing traffic congestion through the North Penn region. The ultimate goal was to design a road network that would adequately carry commercial and residential traffic well into the 21st century. Some of the important findings to arise from those surveys are listed below.


Existing Volumes

• Traffic volumes range from 30,000 vehicles per day on the PA 309 Expressway to 46,000 per day on PA 309 at Bergey Road, just before the 309 Expressway splits off from Business 309.
  
• On the PA Turnpike, traffic volumes are 31,800 and 39,700 daily vehicles north and south of the Lansdale Interchange, respectively.
  
• Partly as a result of the turnpike traffic, cross-corridor volumes on Sumneytown Pike (ranging from 17,600 to 27,00 vehicles per day), Forty Foot Road (from 15,700 to 19,600 vehicles per day), and PA 113 (20,300 daily vehicles in the vicinity of Schoolhouse Road) are also very heavy. Allentown, Welsh and Cowpath roads serve significant amounts of north-south traffic (from 9,800 to 15,600 daily vehicles), much of which travels through the study area. Volume on Unionville Pike is reduced to 10,600 as a result of traffic turning into industrial plants in the vicinity of Bergey Road.
  

Traffic

• The lack of a direct link between PA 309 and the PA Turnpike’s Lansdale Interchange inhibits the efficient movement of goods from the Hatfield area.
  
• Traffic volume on several roads between PA 309 and the Lansdale Interchange will double by the year 2020.
  
• 7.6 miles of roads operate at failing Levels of Service (ranking a roadway’s ability to accommodate traffic volumes).
  
• Failing roads are expected to increase to 25.1 miles by the year 2020.
  
• Over half of the road network will not accommodate projected traffic volumes by the year 2020.
  
• Currently, 19 out of 30 intersections fail during peak hours, and all intersections will fail by the year 2020.
  
• Only 21 percent of trips are totally within the study area. Thirty-four percent are through trips with neither an origin or destination within the study area. The remaining 45 percent have one trip end (origin or destination) within the study area and the other outside the study area.
  
• Bus service in the study area is limited to one SEPTA route; commuter rail stations are located one to two miles southeast of the study area.
  
  

Safety

• Segments of Orvilla Road, Broad Street, Allentown Road and Sumneytown Pike all have crash rates significantly higher than the Pennsylvania state average for similar highways.
  
• Allentown Road has one section that exceeds the maximum allowable grade of nine percent. Other roads meet PENNDOT design criteria.
  
  

Infrastructure

• Most non-curbed roads have inadequate shoulder widths.
  
• Orvilla Road and portions of Sumneytown Pike, Unionville Pike, Allentown, Hatfield, Valley Forge, Forty Foot, Welsh, Township Line, Minninger, Derstine and Wambold roads do not meet current design criteria for roadway lane widths.
  
• All the above roads were in need of repair, and two concrete bridges (Orvilla Road and Bethlehem Pike over West Branch Neshaminy Creek) and one stone masonry arch bridge (Orvilla Road over West Branch Neshaminy Creek) require extensive repairs.
  
• A retaining wall in front of a cemetery at the corner of Orvilla and Welsh roads and two bridge abutments on Orvilla Road restrict sight distance.
  
• Sharp "S" curves on Orvilla and Wambold roads do not meet design standards.
  

Growth

• Montgomery County municipalities in the study area are expected to grow by 19.7 percent.
  
• Population in the Bucks County municipalities bordering the study area is expected to grow 45.2 percent by the year 2020.
  
• Employment is expected to grow in Montgomery County at 22.2 percent and Bucks County at 16.2 percent by the year 2020.