Center County MPO seeks municipal input on long-range transportation plan; council presses for bike, rail and safety fixes

Anne Messer, senior transportation planner for the Center County Metropolitan Planning Organization, told State College Borough Council that the MPO—s long-range transportation plan update is due Sept. 17, 2025, and that municipal feedback on five specific questions is requested by March 14, 2025. Messer said the MPO is proceeding on the assumption that core bridge, highway and alternate-transportation funds for this year and next are obligated but that discretionary federal funds remain uncertain.

Council discussion focused on safety and connectivity. Council members stressed the North Atherton corridor and Park Avenue as high priorities: Council member Eric Portney noted a regional pilot on automated speed enforcement on North Atherton is being pursued with state legislative partners; Michael Herndon urged traffic calming on Atherton and a conversion to a two-lane plus center-turn-lane design to improve access for North Atherton businesses and create safer crossings for pedestrians and schoolchildren.

Cycling and micro-mobility needs drew sustained attention. Several council members called for an interconnected regional bike network, better connections to the Military Museum, and filling gaps to extend the rail-trail to Bellefonte. Members urged that painted bike lanes be reconsidered in favor of raised or physically separated bikeways on busy corridors such as Atherton, and asked the MPO to account for emerging micro-mobility devices (e-bikes and scooters) in design standards.

On regional transit and rail access, council members and Messer discussed a potential shuttle to link State College with the Tyrone train station. Messer said the MPO has applied for planning funds for a rail-access study (UPWP) and that, if funded, a study would likely start later in 2025 and recommend shuttle solutions rather than immediate rail service.

Council also raised emerging-technology opportunities: Michael Herndon and others urged improved vehicle and bicycle detection at signals so lights respond reliably to bikes and lone cars; suggestions included updated sensors, pedestrian detection improvements to avoid long wait cycles, and parking guidance systems for downtown garages.

Messer summarized funding: the MPO has one discrete discretionary award for $200,000 and a larger uncertainty about other discretionary funds; she reiterated that years 1-4 of the plan are largely accounted for in the Transportation Improvement Program and the MPO is planning for years 5 and beyond.

The MPO is collecting municipal project requests through March 14; Messer asked council members to return answers to the five outreach questions or submit project request forms if they propose specific capital projects.

The discussion included requests to improve coordination between the borough—s zoning/zones rewrite and the long-range plan timeline, and to continue municipal engagement beyond initial submission windows.