volume vii transportation

8/3/2019 Volume VII Transportation

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Venango County

2004 Comprehensive Development Plan

Transportation (Vol. VII)

Venango

Countyin the

21st Century

Plum

Pleasantville

IrwinBarkeyville EmlentonClintonClintonville Scrubgrass Richland

CherrytreeOil Creek

Allegheny

Jackson

Cooperstown

Canal

Oakland Cornplanter

SugarcreekPresident

Rouseville

Oil CityUtica

RocklandVictory

Mineral

Frenchcreek

PolkSandycreek

Cranberry

Franklin

Pinegrove


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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 for

action in

these newly

settled

areas,

neighborhoods and pockets of commerce. Horse and mule drawn box wagons,

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

during this period.

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


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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 allabutting counties.

o I-80 runs through the southernmost part of the County, providing connection

between Mercer and Clarion counties;

o U.S. Route 62 runs through Franklin and Oil City and provides connection

between Mercer and Forest counties;

o U.S. Route 322 runs through Franklin, providing connection between

Crawford and Clarion counties;

o 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.

1http://www.octrr.clarion.edu/


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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 includinghardwood 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.


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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 20 th 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 arecarried. 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


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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.

COUNTYPA DOT LINEAR

MILES

OTHER

AGENCIES**

LINEAR MILES

LOCAL

MUNICIPAL

LINEAR MILES

TOTAL LINEAR

MILES

Butler 655.4 44.2 1,562.5 2,266.5

Clarion 469.6 12.7 945.1 1,427.4

Crawford 909.9 25.9 1,497.0 2,432.8

Forest 206.5 176.9 158.0 541.4

Mercer 743.5 8.0 1,264.9 2,016.4

Venango 529.0 10.3 825.6 1,364.9

Warren 531.4 189.4 611.1 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.


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the DVMT counts for Venango and the other contiguous counties, based on the most

recent statistics from 2002 PA DOT Highway Statistics.

COUNTY PA DOT DVMTOTHER

AGENCIESDVMT

LOCALMUNCIPAL

DVMTTOTAL DVMT

Butler 3,901,583 44,126 595,615 4,654,156

Clarion 1,528,684 12,687 186,039 1,727,410

Crawford 1,949,279 25,874 289,654 2,264,807

Forest 168,659 176,703 21,171 366,533

Mercer 3,178,477 8,012 479,989 3,666,478

Venango 1,433,438 10,240 224,832 1,668,510

Warren 931,528 189,240 142,442 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.

COUNTYSTATE

LINEARMILES

TURNPIKELINEARMILES

LOCALMUNICIPAL

LINEAR MILES

TOTALLINEARMILES

TOTAL DVMT

Butler 100.4 4.4 0 100.8 1,968,340

Clarion 61.0 0 0 61.0 943,087

Crawford 60.4 0 0 60.4 762,355

Forest 14.1 0 0 14.1 32,840

Mercer 87.8 0 0 87.8 1,654,128

Venango 83.1 0 0 83.1 794,072

Warren 79.4 0 0 79.4 466,807

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


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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.

COUNTYFATAL

CRASHESINJURY

CRASHESPDO

CRASHES*TOTAL

CRASHES

Butler 27 1,199 887 2,113

Clarion 8 383 274 665

Crawford 20 620 466 1,106

Forest 3 50 38 91

Mercer 29 1,018 697 1,744

Venango 15 435 363 813

Warren 5 253 220 478

*PDO stands for Property Damage Only

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


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Venango County, PennsylvaniaComprehensive Development Plan

February 2004

COUNTY1996

CRASHES1997

CRASHES1998

CRASHES1999

CRASHES2000

CRASHES

Butler 1,923 2,171 1,962 1,968 2,113

Clarion 598 632 546 585 665

Crawford 1,118 1,123 1,056 1,058 1,106

Forest 83 97 99 86 91

Mercer 1,655 1,670 1,647 1,578 1,744

Venango 815 755 732 726 813

Warren 602 524 478 510 478

COUNTY1996

DEATHS1997

DEATHS1998

DEATHS1999

DEATHS2000

DEATHS

Butler 28 27 25 18 32

Clarion 14 10 12 9 10

Crawford 17 15 16 24 23

Forest 0 2 2 2 3

Mercer 23 24 19 12 40

Venango 16 15 10 15 16

Warren 19 7 9 11 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 County-

oriented west to east, is accessible to Barkeyville, Clintonville and Emlenton.

Opportunities for the development of regional industrial sites at or near the interchangeareas 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.

Transportation and Circulation

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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 62and 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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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 developmentissues 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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February 2004

Housing and

Urban

Development

Brownfields TaxIncentive Zone

Actual

Potential

Environmental

Protection Agency

Air Releases

BrownfieldsPilots

Discharges toWater

HazardousWasteGenerator

Hazardous

WasteHandlers

SuperfundSites

ToxicReleases

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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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 Liberty at 15th to Rt. 62 in Oil City and East 2nd Street in Franklin

o Routes 257 and 322

o I-80 interchanges

o Rt. 8 beginning at Liberty Street and 15 th 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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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 Venango County owns and maintains only 10.3 linear miles of roadways

of the total of 1,364.9 linear miles countywide.

o Only Forest and Warren Counties of the six (6) counties contiguous to

Venango County, have fewer total miles of roadways.

o Only Forest and Clarion Counties in the region have fewer miles of

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation owned and maintainedroadways.

o Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the total linear miles of roadways in the

County are Class D collectors.

o Interchange areas within the State Route 80 corridor present industrial or

mixed-use development opportunities.

o Because of the characteristics of the Countys transportation network,

Venango County reports a relatively high number of vehicle crashes onan annual basis.

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 alongmajor highways, such as Routes 8, 62, 257 and 322 and to encourage scenic

roadways on various state and local roads in rural areas

Immediate PriorityLimit driveway access on Routes 8, 62, 257 and 322, throughmunicipal land use regulations, in order to prevent stripdevelopment 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.). - PlanningCommission and Municipal Governments.

Short Range PriorityEstablish development standards which require vegetativebuffering along arterial and collector streets. - MunicipalGovernments.


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February 2004

Enact development regulations which provide incentives to privatedevelopers to cluster development along arterial and collectorstreets. - County and Municipal Governments.

Long Range PriorityDesignate significant land areas fronting on arterial and collectorroads as Scenic Areas within Resource Protection Areas. -Municipal Governments.

GOAL No. 3 - To promote conditions providing for the health, safety and welfare of thecitizens of Venango County.

5. To manage planned developments along major highways such as Routes 8,257, 62 and 322.

Short Range PriorityWork with municipalities to amend local land use regulations toencourage development design, which limits road access andclusters development projects fronting these major transportationcorridors. - Planning Commission

Prepare a Corridor Design Manual which emphasizes parallelaccess roads, underground utilities and sign regulations for areasdesignated for preservation, transition or growth. PlanningCommission and Oil Region Alliance.

6. To systematically identify traffic hazards and problems and address thesetraffic issues cooperatively within a regional framework.

Immediate PriorityPrioritize recommended safety improvement projects based uponavailable accident information data. - Planning Commission,PennDot and Emergency Services.

Identify problem areas and other hazardous locations on the basisof interviews, PennDot records, municipal experience andknowledge of construction or design deficiencies. - MunicipalGovernments.

Short Range PriorityContinue participation in the Regional Transportation PlanningActivities sponsored by the Northwest Regional Planning andDevelopment Commission. - Planning Commission

Long Range PriorityWork with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation toimprove Route 8, Interstate 80, Routes 62, 257, 322 and other


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February 2004

state roads. - Planning Commission and Municipal Governments.

7. To study the feasibility of an expanded regularly scheduled publictransportation system for the county.

Short Range PriorityUndertake a systematic public transportation feasibility plan thatassesses the need and viability for additional fixed route publictransportation. - Planning Commission and VCOEO.

GOAL No. 5 - To provide equal opportunities for all residents to obtain meaningfulemployment.3. To identify and make known public sector improvements and facilities necessary fordesired business development.

Immediate Priority

Support improvements to the runway at the Venango RegionalAirport in order to accommodate regional jet aircraft. CountyCommissioners and Municipal Governments.

Protect the area near the Venango Regional Airport fromconstruction inconsistent with preserving current and futurerunway safety zones. Planning Commission and MunicipalGovernments.

Short Range PriorityUndertake a comprehensive infrastructure needs assessmentthroughout the County in order to identify areas for new facilities

and the improvement of existing facilities and initiate planning forthese specific infrastructure improvements. - County Government.

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