What is the TIP?

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is the region’s capital budget for federal and state transportation funds. It is important because federal transportation funds cannot be spent unless the projects are listed in the TIP. On July 23, 2020, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Board approved the Fiscal Year 2021 TIP for the five counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia). It covers the next twelve years (2021 to 2032) but is updated every two years. It must be fiscally constrained.

There must be a need for a transportation improvement. Examples of needs include replacement or repair of deficient bridges, left-turn lanes to relieve traffic congestion, sidewalks for pedestrian safety, or bicycle lanes. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), municipalities, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and Delaware County work together to develop proposals for TIP projects. The Delaware County Planning Department uses its Transportation Improvements Inventory to prioritize potential projects. Projects should also be consistent with and/or included in DVRPC’s Long Range Plan, and county and municipal comprehensive or transportation plans.

The FY 2021 TIP programs approximately $10 billion in federal and state transportation funds to the five county Pennsylvania region over the next twelve years. Roughly $4.9 billion will go to highway, bridge, and trail projects, while $5.1 billion will fund transit improvements for SEPTA, PennDOT, and Pottstown Area Rapid Transit.

 Delaware County’s 79 projects are scheduled to receive approximately $1.1 billion in federal and state funding over the next twelve years. Sixty-five highway, bicycle, and pedestrian projects total about $804 million and 14 public transit projects total approximately $293 million.

 Major projects programmed for construction in the first four years from 2021-2024 include the following:

• Elwyn to Wawa Passenger Rail Restoration in Middletown and Chester Heights ($80 million)
• Media and Sharon Hill Trolley Lines Positive Train Control in Various Municipalities between Media/Sharon Hill and Upper Darby ($76 million)
• US 322 bridge over CSX railroad in Upper Chichester ($49 million)
• Bridgewater Road Extension in Aston, Upper Chichester, and Chester Townships ($23 million)
• South Creek Road bridge over Brandywine Creek in Chadds Ford ($22 million)
• US 322, Featherbed Lane to I-95 in Concord, Bethel, and Upper Chichester ($16 million plus $204 million in 2025-2032)
• I-476, MacDade Boulevard Ramp Improvements in Ridley Township ($16 million)
• US 1 roadway rehabilitation in Chadds Ford and Concord ($16 million)
• Sellers Avenue bridge over Amtrak and SEPTA in Ridley Park ($10 million)
• Wanamaker Avenue bridge over Darby Creek in Prospect Park and Tinicum ($6 million plus $21 million in 2025-2028

Other significant projects receiving design and right-of-way acquisition funding from 2021-2024 include the following:

• US 1 and PA 352 Interchange, Intersection, and Roadway Improvements in Middletown
• I-95/US 322/Conchester Highway Interchange Improvements in Upper Chichester and Chester City
• I-476 Travel Management in Marple, Springfield, Nether Providence, Ridley Township, Chester City, and Upland
• Marcus Hook Station
• I-95 Noise Abatement in Chester City and Chester Township
• Villanova Regional Rail Station in Radnor 

The TIP shows a program of priority transportation projects in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia, including the City of Chester and was developed in cooperation with PennDOT, SEPTA, PART and DVRPC's member counties and cities.

For more information, please visit DVRPC's website:  https://www.dvrpc.org/TIP/PA/