SEDA-COG MPO Launches Public Survey to Identify Long Term Transportation Needs

Lewisburg, PA – SEDA-Council of Governments Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEDA-COG MPO) invites the public to take an online survey to share regional transportation needs and priorities. The feedback received will help to inform the organization’s 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The survey is open from August 28–September 30 and can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3XavBlo or by scanning the QR code below.

“The LRTP impacts the counties in our MPO region—Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union—ensuring that the region’s needs and potential funding levels are considered over a 25-year planning horizon,” says Kim Wheeler, SEDA-COG Executive Director. “The public survey is an important step in pursuing projects that align with the region’s transportation vision and goals.”

The LRTP establishes a long-term strategy for the region’s multimodal transportation system and identifies current and future transportation needs based on system condition, demographics, economics, and land use trends. It is also used as a guide for the distribution of limited funding resources.

The plan is currently in its first phase of data collection and analysis. During the plan’s development, the MPO will assess all modes of transportation, including walking, biking, driving, transit, and freight. Once completed, the plan will be used to identify transportation investments that align with the public’s goals for the region, such as improved safety and mobility, reduced congestion, and economic development potential.

“The LRTP is updated every four or five years to reflect changes in regulations, regional demographics and travel patterns, and the priorities of residents and other stakeholders,” says Steve Herman, SEDA-COG MPO’s Director of Transportation. “A wide variety of project types will be included in the final LRTP, from major, capital-intensive projects, to those focused on traffic operations.”

Public participation is key to the development of the plan. SEDA-COG MPO encourages the public to visit the project’s website to take the survey and share their transportation priorities. If anyone requires special assistance to complete the survey or would like a printed version, please contact Kristin McLaughlin, SEDA-COG’s project manager, at 570-524-4491.

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.

The SEDA-COG Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the official transportation planning organization for eight (8) Central Pennsylvania Counties (Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Union), as designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PSU Awarded $600,000 Grant to Help Fund Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance

The Pennsylvania State University was awarded a $600,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant towards the creation of a Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance.

Penn State applied for the grant with the assistance from SEDA-Council of Governments. Funds are matched with over $835,000 in industry cash and in-kind as well as a University cash match.

Grant money will be used to develop a series of educational courses, workshops, and paid internships geared towards students and existing workers to prepare the next generation for this growing industry.

Silicon carbide is a compound containing silicon and carbon that occurs in nature but can also be mass-produced for high-tech electronic chip applications.

It was recently identified as a critical material for clean technologies because of its importance in enabling the delivery of electricity from power plants, solar, and wind farms. It is also critical in advancing the next generation of electric vehicles. The U.S. isn’t producing enough silicon carbide to meet demand, which is expected to be two to three times the need by 2030.

With this investment, the Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance will serve as a Pennsylvania and national resource for the silicon carbide semiconductor growth and manufacturing industry.

SEDA-COG’s Betsy Lockwood, director of project development and grants, assisted the Alliance in applying for the grant.

On one of the many benefits of the grant, Lockwood said, “This project brings together industry and academia to establish a strong semiconductor workforce development program that will attract companies from around the nation to the PA Appalachian Region.”

The Appalachian Region Commission is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments including Pennsylvania. PA’s Department of Community and Economic Development partners with ARC to identify and support projects that will build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in the Appalachian counties of Pennsylvania to reach socioeconomic parity with the nation.

SEDA-COG is a community and economic development agency in Lewisburg and is one of seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania. SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in the 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives.