Ferguson Township Receives $700,000 in Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) Funding for Improving Mobility and Safety in Pine Grove Mills

State College, PA – On April, 20, 2022, Ferguson Township was a noted recipient of $700,000 in funding to install various pieces of transportation infrastructure in Pine Grove Mills to improve mobility and safety for pedestrians and motor vehicles alike.

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL), Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian announced funding for 43 Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) projects on April 20, 2022. TA Set-Aside provides funding for projects and activities defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects.

The $700,000 in funding is set aside specifically to install a concrete sidewalk on the west side of Water Street from the Route 26/Route 45 intersection south to Chestnut Street, along with work to widen the shoulder in order to accommodate bike lanes on Route 45. Bike legends will also be painted on the shoulder, and will include installing a rectangular rapid flashing beacon at the existing bike crossing on Nixon Road, and also signs and legends for “sharrows” on a portion of Route 45.

Lisa Strickland, Vice-Chair of the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors, stated, “This is an exciting opportunity for the Township to make much needed safety improvements for Pine Grove Mills. PennDOT could see the need, along with the community interest, in making walking and biking safer in the area. The Board of Supervisors and the Pine Grove Mills Small Area Planning Committee are very appreciative of the grant and efforts put into the application process.”

Dave Modricker, Public Works Director for Ferguson Township, stated, “The Township is excited to hear of the $700,000 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grant award to improve pedestrian and bicycle access through the Pine Grove Mills Area. The application for the grant was built upon the work done by the Pine Grove Mills Small Area Plan Committee and supported by the Board of Supervisors. The current mobility study for Pine Grove Mills includes these improvements which may be refined through the study process.”

The Borough of Bellefonte and Borough of State College were the other awardees for Centre County, Pennsylvania, and all projects are noted as being funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

For further information on this project, see the link below: https://www.penndot.pa.gov/ProjectAndPrograms/Planning/Pages/Transportation%20Alternatives%20Set-Aside%20-%20Surface%20Trans.%20Block%20Grant%20Program.aspx

For press inquiries relating to this matter, please contact Dave Modricker, Ferguson Township Public Works Director, at dmodricker@twp.ferguson.pa.us