2009 Transportation Priorities

Plank Road Interchange

The purpose of the Plank Road Interchange Project is to provide an improved roadway system. The increased traffic demand through the I-99, Plank Road, Goods Lane, and Orchard Avenue corridor is due to current and future commercial development. Logan Valley Mall, a number of shopping plazas, as well as individual business concerns exist in the project area. Allegheny and Logan Townships, the City of Altoona, and Blair County are all impacted by this interchange and Plank Road. Improvements are needed to alleviate traffic congestion and the high volume of left turn movements.

Park Avenue Connector

Completion of Park Avenue from Frankstown Road to the 17th Street Interchange. This project will serve as an interconnecting roadway to alleviate excessive stress created by completion of the Logan Town Centre and the continuing success of the Blair County Ball Park. This urban collector roadway will relieve congestion, improve ingress and egress to I-99, provide new opportunities for economic development on the corridor’s adjacent properties, and eliminate the bottleneck effect that currently exists.

Altoona Transportation Improvement Project
In-town Connector and 6th/7th Avenues Corridor

This project is to provide solutions for existing traffic conditions and transportation improvement needs for two of the most heavily traveled corridors in the City of Altoona, the 17th Street (State Route 4010) and the 6th/7th Avenue (State Route 764) corridors. These corridors are important links in the Altoona transportation network. The efficient and safe operation of traffic through these corridors is necessary for economic and community growth and vitality.

The 17th Street (State Route 4010) corridor between Interstate 99 and 12th Avenue is a major east-west travel route between the interstate and the downtown business district. The 6th and 7th Avenue corridor serves as an important north-south connection between Kettle Street and 31st Street. These corridors link retail areas and the interstate system to regional education and medical centers and the downtown business area.

Altoona – Blair County Development Corporation
Hollidaysburg Car Shop Access Improvement Project

In 2006 the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD), acquired from the Norfolk Southern Railroad the former Hollidaysburg Car Shop property. The property involves a 750,000+ square foot building, 320+ acres plus some additional out buildings. Since acquiring the property, the development corporation has successfully addressed all environmental concerns related to both the existing buildings and overall site and has entered into a lease agreement with D-Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of the DeGol Organization. D-Holdings, Inc. initial project as it relates to the redevelopment of the property is the transformation of the existing 750,000 square foot building into the “DeGol Center for Advanced Manufacturing”. The DeGol Organization will initially utilize approximately 350,000 square feet to consolidate certain manufacturing operations of the organization. However, in order to maximize the site and building, ABCD and D-Holdings, Inc. have initiated discussion with the PennDOT regarding the necessary Highway Occupancy Permits (HOP) that will be needed to allow for this redevelopment to occur. Although in the preliminary stages, it appears that there will be the need for access improvements on both the local and state highway system in order to secure the necessary HOP. The request in the amount of $5 million will be utilized to meet those PennDOT required improvements.

Altoona Parking Garage Reconstruction Project

In 2003, the Altoona Parking Authority undertook a Level III Conditional Appraisal Report for the Altoona Transportation Center Garage. To summarize the findings, the garage was determined to be in general poor condition and in need of significant and extensive repairs. The Transportation Center services as an intermodal transportation center providing access to buses and trains. Due to age of the original structure, 37 years, and although the post-tension system is generally in good condition, the mild steel in the slabs has corroded and deteriorated the concrete due to the use of the structure as well as penetration of water and de-icing salts. As a result of the finding of the Level III report, the Altoona Parking Authority initiated an aggressive repair and maintenance program to address the finding of the report. In 2004-05, the Authority secured a $750,000 Infrastructure Development Grant from the Commonwealth of PA to initiate phase I of a multi-phase program to address and arrest further deterioration and maintain the service life for this needed downtown garage/transportation center. Through the efforts of Congressman Bill Shuster, federal SAFETEA-LU funding was secured through the Federal Transit Administration in the amount of $1 million. An additional $300,000 was also secured through SAFETEA-LU. The Altoona Parking Authority will provide an additional $200,000 and in the spring of 2009, a $1.5 million restoration project will commence and be completed by the fall of 2009. Based upon finding of the engineering report, there will remain an additional $1.2 to $1.5 million in additional repairs to complete full reconstruction resulting in maintaining the life of the garage for another 15-20 years.