PennDOT is setting aside $234,000 for a study focusing on how to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists on Pleasant Valley Boulevard and Plank Road.
The study, urged last year by city officials and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, has been funded and should begin this summer, said Wesley Burket, assistant planning director for transportation at the Blair County Planning Commission.
Burket told the planning commission when it met last week that the $234,000 grant requires matching funds, which have been pledged by Amtran and the City of Altoona, at $3,000 each.
PennDOT will supervise the study that will likely be handled by a consultant, Burket said. As the planning commission's transportation specialist, Burket would be available to provide assistance.
PennDOT officials were not available Friday for comment.
Interest in a proposed study started to grow last year and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the multimunicipal transportation planning group, pursued funding by applying to PennDOT for inclusion in its 12-year plan of upcoming projects.
Blair County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joe Hurd was among those interested in exploring the alternatives to 243 "No Pedestrian Crossing" signs posted along Pleasant Valley Boulevard and Plank Road, from Convention Center Boulevard to 17th Street.
Hurd has suggested that places can be created for pedestrians to safely cross that route of retail and hospitality establishments without restricting traffic flow.
Economic development specialist Steve McKnight of Altoona last year urged Altoona City Council to support pursuit of the study, and the council agreed. McKnight described pedestrian and bicycle routes as attractive assets for any community.
