Highways are extremely wide, requiring large-scale demolition to local farms and forests.
Transit has a much lighter footprint.
Local farms and ecosystems would be significantly impacted
Every option of PennDOT’s State College Area Connector involves extensive demolition of local farms, homes, and forests, significantly impacting the officially-designated Penns Valley Rural Heritage District.
Highways are extremely wide
One reason why car-dependency is so problematic is the sheer space required for automobiles. For example, the current Route 322 is 50 feet wide:
However, I-99 near Port Matilda is a whopping 170 feet wide, causing significantly more disturbance to the landscape and residents:
Transit offers a solution
Because people don’t need to constantly haul around four (or more) unused seats, alternative transportation options such as transit and bicycling have a significantly smaller impact on the physical environment. In this case, a rail transit corridor as narrow as 15 feet wide allows you to move more people in less space, saving money, protecting forests, and preserving rural farm heritage.
It’s also worth noting that electric or self-driving cars will not solve this problem.
