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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 9, 2014 12:30 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Joseph T. Hackett |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Highway Occupancy Permit Application Transparency |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to increase oversight and transparency in the Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) application process at PennDOT. Currently, HOPs issued by PennDOT are required for a variety of projects that involve right-of-way access on a state-owned highway, including driveway access, utility projects and others. Recently, an issue arose in my district where Swarthmore College was building a new hotel on their property and needed to create access to the location from a major state highway. As part of their proposal, they came up with a plan to build, at their own cost, a roundabout at the intersection of Rutgers Avenue and State Route 320. Since the roundabout will be built entirely with private funds, the law only required that the college obtain a permit to construct it. Part of the current permit process requires that the application be approved by the local municipality where the project will take place. Constituents approached me with concerns that this system is flawed because a local municipal government can approve changes that will affect people far beyond their municipal borders – in this particular case, more than 10,000 motorists per day. Therefore, my legislation will create an additional step in the permit process for large-scale projects, like this roundabout. My legislation will require that the permit application be reviewed by the Metropolitan or Rural Planning Organization (MPO/RPO) with jurisdiction. Following this third-party review, the Planning Organization will make a determination on whether the project will have a significant impact on the region. If they determine that the impact will be significant, then the Planning Organization will be required to hold at least one (1) public hearing to allow for general public input on the proposal. While this legislation will add another step to the permit process, it will also provide an unbiased, third-party review of the application, creating the transparency my constituents have requested. If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Kevin Andrews at kandrews@pahousegop.com or 610-461-5543. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this legislation. |
Memo Updated: September 9, 2014 12:31 PM