US-422 Plus Tolls
Executives from DVRPC in conjunction with the Montgomery County Planning Commission have developed a proposal to implement improvements to US-422. This proposal includes the following project components:
- Widening the 422 expressway between Phoenixville and King of Prussia ($311 million)
- Rehabilitating US-422 between Phoenixville and Pottstown ($68 million)
- "Reconstruction" of US-422 between Pottstown and the Berks County line ($329 million)
- Rebuilding 44 miles of railroad to restore passenger train service to Wyomissing ($370 million)
DVRPC wants to fund these projects through the implementation of a tolling authority for the US-422 expressway. This regional authority will be a new quasi-government agency assigned powers to levi tolls against drivers. The projected cost to drive US-422 to King of Prussia from Reading will be $2.65 each way, and will yield Mr. Seymour's authority $60 million per year.
This proposal presents several problems and challenges which question the very validity and motives of this study.
- DVRPC is projecting 3,300 riders in the first year of service on the R6 Wyomissing passenger rail line, which only
carried 690 people a day during its last years of service. That's a gain of 384%!
These overinflated ridership projections mirror those of the failed 2001- SVM study. - DVRPC is proposing $1 billion in capital expenditures to improve US 422 and build a train. That amounts to $67 million
per year (not including finacing costs).
DVRPC has not factored in the $133 million annual operating costs of the highway and passenger train. That means higher tolls. Instead of the proposed $2.65 one way toll, drivers will be facing a $16 round trip toll to use US-422! - ZONE 12 - that's the geographic equivilant of what riders will pay to ride from Wyomissing to Suburban Station. That equates to a $25 one way train ticket. Will people pay a $50 round trip ticket to ride SEPTA every day?
- When asked for supporting data to validate their projections, DVRPC denied PA-TEC access to the 422 planning records, despite the request being made pursuant to the state's open records law. Is DVRPC designing a study to build a project?