Additional Plans & Programs

The Transportation Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) describes the transportation- related work activities that NEPA Alliance and the NEPA MPO Committees will perform during the work program period for our four county metropolitan planning area. In consultation with the NEPA MPO UPWP Steering Committee, NEPA prepares a work program of activities and budget based on the allotted funding in accordance with the PennDOT, FHWA and FTA planning priorities.

The NEPA MPO recently approved the 2025-2027 UPWP, which began on July 1, 2025.  It can be viewed here.  

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Metropolitan Planning Organization (NEPA MPO) recently adopted its first Active Transportation Plan for the four-county MPO region on June 17, 2025. Active Transportation is the use of human powered modes to get to everyday destinations. This includes walking, biking, using a wheelchair, and making connections to transit service.

The NEPA MPO coordinated with its member counties and conducted outreach to the public to identify policies and projects to improve active transportation throughout the four-county region.  The Active Transportation Plan outlines a comprehensive strategy for improving non-motorized infrastructure regionwide by focusing on four primary goal areas related to safety, accommodation, connectivity, and monitoring and tracking. The Active Transportation Plan can be found here.

There are three primary public transit services in the MPO region, which include the Schuylkill Transportation System (STS) that services Schuylkill County, the Monroe County Transportation Authority (MCTA) that services Monroe County and the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA) that services Carbon County. They all provide fixed route and paratransit services within their county borders. Pike County Transportation provides paratransit service in Pike County.

The NEPA MPO recently its Coordinated Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Plan.  It was approved by the NEPA MPO on June 17, 2025.   The plan can be viewed here.  

Pennsylvania State Route 611 (PA 611) is nestled within the picturesque landscapes of the Pocono Mountains in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.  PA 611 is poised for continued growth and development, with numerous residential and commercial projects on the horizon. As more housing developments, resorts, and businesses take shape, the population in the region is expected to soar, further intensifying traffic congestion and safety concerns on the roadway.   As a result, NEPA obtained supplemental planning funds from PennDOT Central Office to complete a corridor study of PA 611 in Pocono, Hamilton and Stroud Townships.  Matching funds were provided by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

The study was completed by Michael Baker International with extensive input from Monroe County, PennDOT, Pocono Township, Stroud Township and other stakeholders.  The study includes roadway, intersection and land use/policy recommendations to address the current and projected challenges of the PA 611 corridor and the Pocono Region at large.  The study was completed in June 2026.   NEPA has developed an ESRI StoryMap to accompany the study report.  It can be found here. The report appendix can be found here. The executive summary can be found here.

Reconstruction of SR 2001 Section 405 in Delaware Township has been Pike County’s number one project for over 30 years.  In that time, the estimated cost of the project has continued to grow and the NEPA MPO regional TIP allocation is unable to support the total cost of the project.  As a result, NEPA obtained supplemental planning funds from PennDOT Central Office to complete a study to assess SR 2001 and to consider alternatives which could include phasing or smaller, lower-cost improvements.   

The study was completed by Michael Baker International with extensive input from Pike County, PennDOT, Delaware Township, the National Park Service and other stakeholders.  The study identifies projects to improve safety and complete reconstruction of SR 2001 in Delaware Township.  The study was completed in December 2025. The study appendices can be accessed here.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Alliance is a 10-county region, including 5 MPOs (NEPA MPO, Lackawanna-Luzerne MPO, Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, Reading Area Transportation Study and Lebanon MPO).   This area is among the largest and fastest growing freight handling regions in the country, home to rapid development and redevelopment for warehouse and distribution functions.  The Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Infrastructure Plan is a blueprint for future investments and policies aimed at mitigating the impacts of freight traffic within the region, while also managing the expected continued expansion of freight uses within Eastern Pennsylvania.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Infrastructure Plan can be viewed by clicking on the image.  The Plan appendices can be found here.  The Regional Freight Profile can be found here.

NEPA secured funding from PennDOT to complete the Jim Thorpe Parking Analysis and Complete Streets Study. As a year-round destination for tourism and visitor activities, Jim Thorpe has been experiencing a growing problem of accommodating adequate parking in the downtown area. The Parking Analysis and Complete Streets Study identifies short and mid-range proposals to minimize conflicts between modes, maximize parking facilities, and accommodate efficient movement of pedestrians, vehicles and bicyclists, safely and efficiently. The Jim Thorpe Parking Study was completed in 2020.

NEPA worked with Pike County and Milford Borough towards the completion of a traffic study and parking analysis of downtown Milford Borough.   Milford has been experiencing high traffic volumes, congestion and parking issues in the downtown area.  As a year-round, four-season destination, Milford has also been experiencing a growing problem of conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles.  The study addresses traffic circulation and congestion issues, traffic signals and signage, turning movements, pedestrian safety and parking shortages. The study was completed in August 2022.

The development of the strategic plan was identified as a priority task for NEPA MPO. With the assistance of a consultant, NEPA conducted a strategic planning process over several months to engage the NEPA MPO board members and identify goals and strategies for the NEPA MPO Unified Planning Work Program and Long Range Transportation Plan. The NEPA MPO Strategic Plan was adopted in 2019.