Final Plan

County Freight Profiles – Page IN-1

Indiana County Freight Profile SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA REGIONAL FREIGHT PLAN

Final Plan

County Freight Profiles – Page IN-2

Indiana County Freight Profile

Though among the more rural and least population dense counties in the SPC region, Indiana County is also a hub of electric power generation with major coal-fired plants that drive a substantial flow of inbound freight. Power plants in the area include the Homer City plant, Conemaugh plant (New Florence area), and Keystone plant (Shelocta area), each fed with coal that arrives via truck or rail from counties across the region, other areas of the state, and out-of-state sources. Balanced against a strong aggregate industry, an agricultural focus, and a vibrant community/university population centered on Indiana Borough, a variety of freight types and needs throughout the area are vital to supporting the county’s economy.

Existing Freight Activity Areas (Profile 7a)

Many smaller, rural, and/or localized freight sites are spread throughout Indiana County, particularly across its northern and more remote stretches. Such sites often involve local mining, quarrying, or mineral resources; timber/lumber resources; smaller trucking operations; or non-descript material storage areas. Broader clusters of activity are typically found along the county’s major travel corridors and around its larger communities. Such areas include the US 119, US 422, and US 22 corridors, as well as community centers in Blairsville, Homer City, and Indiana Borough. Power generation plants, as previously noted, influence freight operations in the Homer City, New Florence, and Shelocta areas.

Existing Transportation Systems (Profile 7b)

Major highway corridors for Indiana County include US Routes 422, 22, and 119. US 422 provides access west through the SPC region’s northern counties and to I-80, or east into the Ebensburg area to US 219, US 22, or I-99. The US 22 corridor links Indiana County with major facilities east and west, including the Pittsburgh region; and the US 119 corridor provides a vital north-south trunk line running north from US 22, to Indiana Borough, to points north, including Punxsutawney, DuBois, and eventually I-80.

Rail access in the county includes Class I service via Norfolk Southern (NS) with major connections to the south; Class II regional service via Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) with connections west into Armstrong County or north through DuBois; and shortline service to points north and east via R.J. Corman Railroad Company’s Pennsylvania Line (RJCP).

System & Commodity Details (Profile 7c)

Highway Freight Network: Currently there are no federally-designated highway freight routes or connectors within Indiana County. All highway freight access, therefore, utilizes US Routes 422, 22, and 119, as well as other key state, county, or local roads in the area (e.g., PA 56 and PA 286).

Multimodal Connections: Most rail traffic for Indiana County is focused on coal and the power generation industry. Multimodal freight transfers or opportunities within the county are otherwise limited.

Commodity Details and Influences: Indiana County is ranked fifth in commodity tonnage for the 10-county region, but second for inbound tonnage, again driven by coal and the power generation industry. Over 77% of its freight total is destined for the county; 84% of that consists of coal; and 44% of all inbound freight moves by rail. Outbound freight, in contrast, is much less (23% of the total tonnage), consists mainly of nonmetallic minerals (42%) and coal (26%), and moves predominately by truck (89%).

Though at a much lower tonnage than coal, other key commodities for the county include nonmetallic minerals, farm products, secondary traffic, and food or kindred products. Much of the secondary traffic may align with the county’s retail and population bases that are primarily centered on Indiana Borough and White Township, which collectively account for 35% of the county’s total population.

System Data and Analyses (Profile 7d)

Trade Partners: In reviewing the intercounty highway freight flows for the SPC region, Indiana County’s highest truck flows link predominately with its neighbors in Armstrong and Westmoreland Counties. Broader regional/national flows – again with much of it likely tied to coal and/or inbound traffic via rail – enter Indiana County from Greene County, Cambria County, and areas in West Virginia; while outbound traffic spans east into Blair and Cambria Counties, and southeast toward the Norfolk, Virginia area.

Highway Freight Operations: Highway truck volumes within the county are generally distributed along its major highway routes including US 119, US 422, and US 22, as well segments of PA 56. Countywide, potential highway infrastructure restrictions include:

516 miles (25% of county total) of weight-restricted roadway

including, for example, SR 240, 259, 403, 553, 580, 711, and 954

2 restricted vertical clearance locations beneath railroad bridges

33 bridges with posted weight limits

Peak hour truck delays are evident on small sections of PA 286 and US 119 in the area of Indiana Borough and Homer City, potentially due to background traffic congestion and/or speed reductions. Additional delays occur along PA 56 near Armagh, US 119 approaching the PA 85 split, and PA 85 north of US 119, all potentially due to terrain and roadway geometry (e.g., steep grades, curves).

Growth Potential: Thirty-year projections estimate an overall decrease in freight tonnage for the county. This reduction may be tied to regional/national uncertainties in the coal industry and/or power generation trends (e.g., fuel conversions to natural gas, potential plant operating reductions or unforeseen closures, etc.) that may influence the commodity dataset assumptions. The county otherwise consists of a broad mix of land uses with large expanses of agriculture, forest, wetlands, or undeveloped land. Future localized freight developments would likely overlay with the area’s existing major transportation corridors and/or pockets of industrial, commercial, or extraction activities.

Future Freight Focus Areas (Profile 7e)

Regional Freight Network Considerations: As mapped on County Freight Profile 7e and in order to link multimodal freight activity areas and focus areas within Indiana County and across the region, freight-significant roadways (beyond the federally-designated NHFN routes) proposed for inclusion on the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Highway Freight Network are:

Regional Routes: US 22, US 422

Intercounty Routes: US 119, PA 286

Connector Routes: PA 56

Focus Areas and Potential Planning Actions: Key focus areas within Indiana County mainly entail freight cluster or localized freight access and connectivity interests, particularly along the US 22 corridor in the Burrell Township and Blairsville area, or along US 119 or PA 286 in the vicinity of Indiana Borough. US 422 freight travel in the Cherry Hill, Pine, and Strongstown areas may also be of interest based on potential future industrial developments

The summary table on the following page and the corresponding map on County Freight Profile 7e highlight relevant freight focus areas and potential future planning actions specific to the county. A brief list of sample projects (extracted from other planning sources) that may also influence freight and goods movement on a broader regional level is also included for reference.

Indiana County Freight At-a-Glance

County Size: 829.5 square miles with 38 municipalities

Population (2014): 87,706

Total Freight (2011): 22.2 MTons

Total Freight (2040): 20.2 MTons (9% decrease vs. 2011)

Key Industries: Mining/Quarrying, Construction, Retail Trade

Final Plan

County Freight Profiles – Page IN-3

Indiana County Freight Focus Areas, Potential Planning Actions, and Sample Projects

Freight Focus Area Focal Points Potential Planning Actions

Map Key

Category Location Description

Fre

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Acti

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F

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Infr

as

tru

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Op

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Acc

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Actions

IN-1

Home US 119 and PA 85 freight activity, operations, and terrain

x x x x (1) US 119 and PA 85 Freight Route Assessment and/or Monitoring

IN-2

Indiana Borough PA 954 freight activity, high truck tonnage area

x x x x (1) Monitor operations and access

IN-3

Burrell Township US 22 freight cluster and US 22 truck travel between PA 259 and PA 982

x x x (2)

Blairsville and Burrell Township Freight Access and Connectivity Assessment

IN-4

Blairsville PA 217 and US 22 freight activity x x x (2)

IN-5

Clymer PA 403 access freight activity x x x (1) Monitor local freight operations and access

IN-6

Strongstown Area US 422 access freight activity x x x x (2)

US 422 Strongstown Area Corridor Freight Route Assessment

IN-7

Armagh Freight activity near US 22, PA 56, and SR 2024

x x x (1) Monitor operations, access, and connectivity

Sample Projects with Regionally-Relevant Freight Influence Potential

Future Development Opportunities

US 422 Corridor, Strongstown Area

Highway Candidates (TIP, TYP, SPC LRTP, PA Turnpike Commission)

US 22 Armagh Bypass Reconstruction $31.3M (MT)

US 22 Hwy Reconstruction at PA 217 Interchange $14.3M (LT)

US 22 Route Safety Improvements $4M (MT)

US 119 Grove Chapel Climbing Lane $12.5M (ST)

US 119 Grove Chapel Safety Improvements $10.8M (MT)

US 119 Homer City North Safety Improvements $5M (ST)

US 119 Homer City Group Bridges Rehabilitation $25.5M (MT)

US 422 Shelocta Bridge #1 Replacement $5M (ST)

PA 85 Preventative Maintenance (Armstrong Co to US 119) $2.6M (MT)

PA 286 Signal Upgrades $1.5M (MT)

PA 286 Reconstruction $10M (MT)

Note: Project samples were extracted from other planning sources and shown here for reference only; they do not necessarily reflect current project details, priorities, or funding commitments for any specific program.

Note: ST (Short-Term) ≈ 2016-2019, MT (Mid-Term) ≈ 2020-2027, LT (Long-Term) ≈ 2028-2040

Legend: Planning Actions Stage

(1) Outreach and Screening (3) Study Phase (5) Programming and Funding

(2) Concept Development (4) Engineering and Design (6) Implementation and Monitoring

Legend: Freight Focus Area Categories

Corridor Economic Freight Localized Multimodal Travel Development Clusters Freight Sites Activity

!(

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¬«286

¬«56

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£¤22

¬«286

¬«210

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¬«259

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¬«110

¬«580

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¬«954

¬«240

Plumville

Blairsville

Indiana

Saltsburg

HomerCity

Coral

NewFlorence

Seward

Strongstown

MarionCenter

Smicksburg

GlenCampbell

Clarksburg

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

10

0 5 102.5 Miles

LegendFreight Activity

Localized Freight ActivityFreight Activity Cluster

RoadwaysInterstatesU.S. HighwaysState HighwaysSecondary Roads

RailroadsClass IClass IIClass III

OtherMajor RiversUrbanized AreasCounty BoundaryState Boundary

SW PA Regional Freight Plan

Ü

Indiana County Freight Profile (Existing Freight Activity Areas)

Profile 7a

SoutheasternCommunities

SouthwesternCommunities

NorthwesternCommunities

US 119 Corridor

NortheasternCommunities

Key Freight Cluster AreasNorth Mahoning - East MahoningMarion Center - HomeIndianaLucerne Mines - Homer City - Black LickBlairsvilleClymer - HeilwoodCherry Hill - Pine - StrongtownEast WheatfieldSheloctaSaltsburg

6

1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

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¬«286

¬«56

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£¤22

¬«286

¬«210

¬«217

¬«403

¬«259

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¬«240

¬«403

¬«954

¬«954

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Blairsville

Indiana

Clarksburg

Saltsburg

NewFlorence

Seward

StrongstownHomer

City

Coral

GlenCampbell

MarionCenter

Plumville

Smicksburg

Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart Fld/

0 4.5 92.25 Miles

LegendRoadways

InterstatesU.S. HighwaysState HighwaysSecondary RoadsPrimary Highway Freight System

Truck Facilities# Rest Area/Service Center - Public#* Travel Plaza/Truck Stop - Private#0 Truck Parking/Weigh Station (no facilities)# Truck Idle Air/ElectrificationXW Runaway Truck Ramp

Intermodal Facilities" Air & Truck Port & Truckà Rail & Truckx Truck & Truck&3 Truck - Port - Rail

Intermodal Connector (Freight Related)Railroads

Class I: CSX TransportationClass I: Norfolk SouthernClass I: Canadian National RailwayClass II: Buffalo & Pittsburgh RailroadClass II: Wheeling & Lake Erie RailwayClass III Railroads

OtheroCommercial Aviation Airport

p General Aviation Airport#* Tunnels with Hazmat Restrictions¸ Lock/Dam" Fleeting Area

Major RiversUrbanized AreasCounty BoundaryState Boundary

! County Seat

SW PA Regional Freight Plan

Ü

Indiana County Freight Profile (Existing Transportation Systems)

Profile 7b

Intermodal Facilities

• None

AirportsCommercial Aviation

• NoneGeneral Aviation

• Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart Field

Rail NetworksClass I Rail

• NS (Norfolk Southern)

Class II Rail

• BPRR (Buffalo Pittsburgh Railroad)

Class III Rail

• RJCP (R.J. Corman Railroad Co/Pennsylvania Line)

River Access

• None

National Highway Freight Network (NHFN)Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS) Routes

• None

Non-PHFS Interstate Routes

• None

PHFS Intermodal Connectors

• None

Additional Freight RoadsIncluded as part of National Network (NN)

• None

Other (not covered by NHFN or NN)

• US 22, US 119, US 422

• PA 286

Key Crossroads

• Indiana: US 119 @ US 422

• Blairsville: US 119 @ US 22

SW PA Regional Freight Plan Profile 7c

Indiana County Freight Profile

(System & Commodity Details)

Freight System Details

Freight System Details

County Population Clusters (2014 Census Estimate)

Miles of Highways and Railroads by Type

Commodity DetailsKey Industries by County

Agriculture, Forestry,

Fishing and Hunting

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil

and Gas Extraction

Utilities

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale Trade

Retail Trade

Transportation and

Warehousing

Industry comprises more than 15% of the county's

freight-related employment

Industry comprises more than 5% of the county's

freight-related employment

Source: Mergent Intellect Employment and Business Database (2015)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Interstate USHighway

PA StateRoutes

Class IRail

Class IIRail

Class IIIRail

Primary Highway FreightSystem (PHFS)

Not on PHFS

19%

16%

5%

5%4%

51%

White Township

Indiana Borough

Center Township

Burrell Township

Green Township

Remainder

Total Indiana County

Population: 87,706

Truck, 89%

Rail, 11%

Outbound Mode Share

Truck, 56%

Rail, 44%

Inbound Mode Share17.2

15.4

5.04.8

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

2011 2040

Frie

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(MTo

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30-Year Freight Data

Inbound Outbound

-9%22.220.2

Trading Partners and Inbound/Outbound Commodities

(based on 2011 tonnage (millions))

MTons Indiana Commodity Group MTons Indiana Commodity Group

2.1 Nonmetallic Minerals 0.9 Nonmetallic Minerals

1.3 Coal 14.5 Coal

0.5 Secondary Traffic 0.3 Secondary Traffic

0.4 Farm Products 0.5 Petroleum or Coal Products

0.3 Waste or Scrap Materials 0.2 Food or Kindred Products

4.6 Top 5 Subtotals (92%) 16.4 Top 5 Subtotals (96%)

0.4 Other Subtotals (8%) 0.7 Other Subtotals (4%)

5.0 Total All Commodities 17.2 Total All Commodities

MTons Indiana Trade Partner MTons Indiana Trade Partner

0.9 Indiana County, PA 3.1 Cambria County, PA

0.8 Westmoreland County, PA 2.5 Armstrong County, PA

0.6 Norfolk City, VA 2.4 Clarksburg-Morgantown Area (WV)

0.4 Blair County, PA 2.3 Greene County, PA 

0.3 Cambria County, PA 1.5 Monongalia County, WV

3.0 Top 5 Subtotals (60%) 11.8 Top 5 Subtotals (69%)

2.0 Other Subtotals (40%) 5.4 Other Subtotals (31%)

5.0 Total All Commodities 17.2 Total All Commodities

Top Five Outbound Commodities Top Five Inbound Commodities

Top Five Outbound Trade Partners Top Five Inbound Trade Partners

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Legend for Restrictions Map (above)Vertical Clearance Below Highway Bridge!( 10 - 11.49 Feet!( 11.5 to 12.49 Feet!( 12.5 to 13.49 Feet!( 13.5 to 14 Feet

Vertical Clearance Below Railroad Bridge#* 10 - 11.49 Feet#* 11.5 - 12.49 Feet#* 12.5 - 13.49 Feet#* 13.5 - 14 FeetBridges with Posted Weight Limit") Bridge Limited to One Truck") 2 - 5 Tons") 6 - 15 Tons") 16 - 25 Tons") 26 - 35 Tons") 36 - 38 Tons

Roadways with Posted Weight LimitsState RoutesSecondary Roads

SW PA Regional Freight Plan

Intercounty Highway Freight Flows

Bridge and Roadway Weight and Vertical Clearance

Restrictions

£¤422

¬«85

¬«286

£¤119

£¤22¬«56

£¤422

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Identified FreightGrowth Locations

0 10 205 Miles

¬«56

£¤22

£¤119

¬«286¬«85

£¤422

Land Use (2010)Commercial Services

Industrial and Commercial

Extraction

Agriculture

Forest, Wetlands, Other Undeveloped

Rivers and Lakes

Residential

Mixed Urban, Transportation, Utilities

Land Use Classification

PM Peak Truck Delay

¬«56

£¤22

£¤119

¬«286

¬«85

£¤422

0 10 205 Miles

Average Annual Daily Truck Traffic0 - 500

501 - 1,000

1,001 - 2,000

2,001 - 3,000

3,001 - 5,000

> 5,000

HPMS Truck CountsIndiana County Freight Profile(System Data & Analyses)

Profile 7d

PM Peak Truck Delay (seconds)0.2 - 60.060.1 - 150.0150.1 - 300.0> 300

Notes: Desire Linesrepresent tonnages on highway network only.

Outbound Inbound Scale = 10,000 tons

Legend

LawrenceButler

Armstrong

Greene

Washington

BeaverIndiana

Fayette

Westmoreland

Allegheny

IN-05

IN-01

IN-02

IN-07

Indiana

IN-03

IN-04

IN-06

£¤219£¤422

¬«286

¬«56

¬«85£¤119

£¤22

¬«286

¬«210

¬«217

¬«403

¬«259

¬«580

¬«240

¬«403

¬«954

¬«954

¬«110

Blairsville

Indiana

Clarksburg

Saltsburg

NewFlorence

Seward

StrongstownHomer

City

Coral

GlenCampbell

MarionCenter

Plumville

Smicksburg

0 4.5 92.25 Miles

LegendRegional Freight Network Candidates

Regional RoutesIntercounty RoutesConnector Routes

National Highway Freight NetworkNational Highway Freight NetworkPHFS Intermodal Connectors (Freight Related)

RoadwaysInterstatesU.S. HighwaysState HighwaysSecondary Roads

RailroadsClass IClass IIClass III

OtherMajor RiversCounty BoundaryState Boundary

SW PA Regional Freight Plan

Ü

Indiana County Freight Profile (Future Freight Focus Areas)

Profile 7e

Freight Focus Areas

NOTE: Refer to table and Map Key on page IN-3 for freight focus area details.

Corridor Travel

Mulitmodal Activity

Localized Freight Sites

FreightClusters

Economic Development