Union County residents invited to weigh in on transportation plans

Union County’s next round of transportation priorities is being set now, and the decisions could shape how people get to work, move freight and reach downtown Lewisburg for years to come. SEDA-COG has opened a public comment period on two draft plans that will determine which projects stay on the map, which ones advance and which ones wait.

The review covers the draft 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan and the draft 2027-2030 Transportation Improvement Program. The comment period began April 22 and runs through May 22, giving residents across the eight-county SEDA-COG Metropolitan Planning Organization region a month to weigh in on priorities that stretch from everyday road safety to long-range growth. The region includes Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties.

Union County is the local focal point because SEDA-COG has scheduled two public meetings for May 4 at the Union County Government Center, 155 North 15th Street in Lewisburg. The Transportation Improvement Program session runs from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by the Long-Range Transportation Plan session from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. SEDA-COG says the government center is accessible to people with disabilities, and residents who cannot attend in person can still submit comments by email, fax or mail to Kristin McLaughlin, the agency’s principal transportation planner.

The draft long-range plan shows why the stakes extend beyond any single road project. SEDA-COG says its transportation planning helps guide short-range and mid-range programs as well as discretionary state and federal transportation funding rounds. In other words, the plans help decide what can move from wish list to funded project later. The draft also says the planning area covers 3,450 square miles and had an estimated 2023 population of 363,540, a scale that makes coordinated planning essential for commuters, businesses and people traveling to medical appointments, schools and shopping.

The plan’s timeline places the region’s transportation growth in context. It notes that the first long-range transportation plan was adopted in 2011 and that SEDA-COG was designated as an MPO in 2013. It also points to future projects already on the horizon, including the Southern Section of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway expected in 2027 and the Route 61 Connector slated for 2028. Paper copies of the draft documents are available at the SEDA-COG office, county planning offices, public transit offices, PennDOT district offices and libraries throughout the MPO region, keeping the review open well beyond the Lewisburg meeting room.