Transportation Impacts of Warehousing Growth in Berks County, PA

Abstract

Berks County is located in the greater Lehigh Valley Region of Pennsylvania, one of the fastest growing warehousing markets in the US. In this region, both commercial and agricultural land have been recently converted to industrial uses to support warehousing development to meet increasing demand in the e-commerce sector. As a result of this development, the region’s roadways have seen growth in commercial vehicle traffic, due to both warehouse operations and construction activities associated with this large-scale development. As part of a larger project examining broad benefits and costs of warehousing development, this study employs GIS analysis of several open data sources available from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) as well as land use data from the Berks County Planning Commission to explore traffic impacts during the period 2013 – 2022. The study investigates truck traffic growth (by roadway type and on key routes to access warehouse developments) as well as commercial-vehicle involved collision frequencies and severities (by commercial vehicle type, along critical routes, and in the vicinity of new warehouse developments). The study also investigates the specific industries of commercial vehicles involved in collisions and other collision factors, including intersection characteristics and involved-driver characteristics. The results will inform community understanding of specific risks and potential short- and long-term traffic impacts from warehouse developments.