Montgomery County planning commission outlines 2024 accomplishments, secures federal funds for Cross County Trail

The Montgomery County Planning Commission presented its 2024 Marco 2040 implementation report to the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 23, highlighting completed infrastructure projects, health and housing programs, and federal grant awards that will fund future trail work.

Anne Levitt Krueger, the county’s planning commission lead on Marco 2040 implementation, told the commissioners the county funded 13 local projects through its Montco 2040 implementation grant program, completed nearly 8 miles of on‑road bike lanes and several bridge reconstructions, and finished construction on the Penny Pack Trail connection to Philadelphia.

The report says the county secured nearly $40,000,000 in federal funds for the Cross County Trail in the fiscal 2025 Transportation Improvement Program and completed design work for a Trail Junction Center at the Schuylkill River Trail and Chester Valley Trail intersection.

Levitt Krueger described other 2024 activity across county departments: the health department’s community health assessment with input from more than 3,300 residents; continued expansion of the county’s food and medicine pilot; transition to next‑generation 9‑1‑1; and a countywide emergency medical services study.

The report noted housing achievements, including the county’s emergency rental assistance program, which from 2022 to 2024 provided more than $122,000,000 to nearly 10,000 households.

Commissioners asked about potential impacts from a federal freeze on infrastructure funding. The planning commission said it did not have an immediate answer and staff would follow up; Levitt Krueger said the commission will “circle back” on funding questions as federal decisions crystallize.

For 2025 the planning commission listed priorities including advancing Cross County Trail construction, beginning the Trail Junction Center construction, initiating a peak flood‑reduction study, and continuing Montco 2040 grant rounds to support local projects, bridge reconstructions and design work on major transportation projects.

The commissioners praised the breadth of work and asked staff to continue coordinating funding strategies, housing and transit‑oriented development and downtown revitalization projects. Commissioners also discussed using county and municipal partnerships to support strategic housing development in areas with existing infrastructure.

The presentation closed with an offer from staff to return with follow‑up on federal funding questions and further detail on implementation timelines for major projects.