The CEO Council recently testified at a congressional forum hosted by Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon to illustrate how important adequate, sustained, reliable funding for transportation investments is to our economic growth. Congresswoman Scanlon was joined at the forum by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan to hear a range of perspectives relative to the growth opportunities for the Greater Philadelphia region. The congressional forum helped ensure a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of key transportation investments from employers, labor groups, policymakers, environmental groups, and executives representing key transportation nodes. A draft of the testimony can be found here.

Our testimony listed many of the CEO Council’s key transportation investment priorities, including:

  • Improving our global gateways by investing in Intercity Rail Stations at 30th Street Station, Newark, Delaware, and a new station at Philadelphia International Airport;
  • Maximizing the benefit of the Delaware River Deepening Project by improving direct access to Packer Avenue Marine Terminal at I-95;
  • Advancing the 30th Street District Plan and Schuylkill Yards development and adding a Market-Frankford Line station between 20th and 21st Streets to support the continued growth of Center City to the west;
  • Extending the Norristown High-Speed Line and transforming Roosevelt Boulevard to bind King of Prussia and Northeast Philadelphia, respectively, back to our region; and
  • Expanding mass transit services at the Navy Yard while making enhancements at Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, New Jersey

Backed by data from the CEO Council’s proposal, “Connecting the Region: A Transportation Strategy for Greater Philadelphia,” and from the report, “SEPTA Projects of Significance: Economic and Fiscal Impact,” by Econsult Solutions, Inc., the CEO Council called for investments that address these priorities and that can transform our community by adapting our existing transportation system to the needs of the next generation.