6th District Projects

• Alvernia University -- $ 4 million requested to upgrade St. Bernardine Street, add signage and lighting, create a new campus entrance, and add walkways for safe pedestrian access.

• Ardmore Intermodal Transit Facility -- $15 million requested to provide for the construction of a new intermodal transit facility with accessible high-level platforms, bus facilities, drop-off/pick-up areas, multi-level parking garage, constructing pedestrian connections to improve intermodal connectivity, unified streetscape and public plazas.

• Cumru Township -- $4 million requested to reconstruct portion of Interstate-176 reconstruction including interchange reconstruction at Route 724 and replace bridge over Norfolk-Southern Rail Line and the Thun Trail. I-176 is a primary link between the Reading urban area and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

• Downingtown -- $1,637,200 requested to construct a new bridge over the Brandywine Creek that will connect Boot Road and Viaduct Avenue. This project will facilitate the redevelopment of Downingtown’s Keystone Opportunity Zone and the former Sonoco paper mill.

• Exeter Township/Borough of Birdsboro -- $2 million requested to replace the bridge on Route 345 (formerly Route 82) over the Schuylkill River. This is a primary river crossing in southern Berks County.

• Exeter Township -- $2 million requested to construct eastbound jug handle on Route 422 at its intersection with Shelbourne Road, including new structure over Antietam Creek to reduce congestion on a major regional artery in the National Highway System.

• Limerick Township  -- $11.2 million requested for improving Sanatoga Interchange and Airport Road along Route 422 in a fast-growing area of Montgomery County.

• Malvern -- $90.4 million requested for reconstructing and widening of U.S. Route 202 between the U.S Route 30 Bypass and North Valley Road. The widening will provide a total of three travel lanes in each direction and includes interchange modifications to improve safety and operations. The project would improve mobility and safety on this section of Route 202, which is part of the National Highway System.

• Montgomery County Community College Alternative Fuel Buses Project -- $800,000 requested to procure four alternative fuel buses for a shuttle service at MCCC. The shuttle service would also provide shuttles from train stations and transportation centers to the MCCC’s campuses located in Pottstown and Blue Bell to improve air quality.

• Norristown -- $15.6 million requested for the Lafayette Street-Pennsylvania Turnpike Interchange Project. Money would be used to widen and rebuild existing Lafayette Street in Norristown from Barbadoes Street to Ford Street, extend Lafayette Street to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and build a new EZ-Pass-only interchange. This project furthers the federal responsibility to improve mobility and reduce congestion on our National Highway System.

• Paoli -- $16 million requested to widen Route 252 under the Amtrak bridge to allow a total of four lanes and pedestrian/bicycle usage and to reconstruct the bridge to allow for road widening. This project is associated with the Paoli Intermodal Transportation Center Project and will increase efficiency of the existing road way system, increase access to rail and bus alternatives and allow for safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic into Paoli.

• Paoli Intermodal Transportation Center -- $10 million requested to provide for the engineering and construction of a transportation center in Paoli.  The new facility will be located on SEPTA’s R5 Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail Line west of the existing station.  The project includes: construction of an intermodal station facility complete with high-level platforms, waiting area, ticket office and passenger amenities; construction of bus facilities; construction of commuter parking facility; reconfiguration of access roads and entrances to the station; construction of new pedestrian linkages throughout the station area including sidewalks, crosswalks, and a concourse linking inbound and outbound station platforms; and reconfiguration and improvements to the Paoli Interlocking to accommodate the new transportation center.

• Reading Hospital and Medical Center -- $16.8 million requested to alleviate congestion along Route 222, Papermill Road and Broadcasting Road near the hospital’s planned Spring Ridge Campus. The project also would improve pedestrian safety with the construction of a new pedestrian underpass.

• Saint Joseph’s University -- $50,000 requested to convert the university’s fleet of service vehicles to natural gas from diesel and develop natural gas refueling station on campus.

• SEPTA Regional Rail R5 Extension Stations -- $8 million requested to extend the existing R5 rail line from its current terminus in Thorndale, Chester County approximately 10 miles west to serve the existing Amtrak (Keystone Corridor) stations of Coatesville and Parkesburg Borough, as well as a newly constructed station in Atglen Borough.

• SEPTA Bus Fare Collection System Modernization -- $15 million requested to create an electronic fare payment and fare collection system that enables SEPTA riders to access all transit services through a common electronic fare media.

• West Reading/City of Reading -- $4 million requested for repair/replacement of the Penn Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River. The Penn Street Bridge is the primary link between the City of Reading and the regional expressway system.

Regional Project

The following is a regional project that Congressman Gerlach has provided a letter of support for along with Pennsylvania Congressmen Bill Shuster and Tim Holden:

Crescent Corridor Intermodal Freight Project -- $300 million requested for the development of more than 300 miles of new rail capacity and speed improvements along three main rail corridors in Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and Pennsylvania. This project would fuel local economic development, strengthen our collective region’s ability to compete for domestic manufacturing jobs, create 15,000 direct jobs in Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, and Pennsylvania in the next 15 years, and contribute to the anticipated creation of thousands of indirect jobs.