Gettysburg Transportation Management Plan

JMT was engaged by the Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (rabbittransit) (formerly York Adams Transportation Authority) and the Gettysburg Area 150th Anniversary Committee to develop a Transportation Management Plan (TMP) for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Downtown Gettysburg and the roadway network in the area of the National Military Park regularly experiences congestion during average tourist weekends. Anticipating extremely large volumes of visitors during the celebration and commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the event steering committee and local community expressed concern that the area would experience total gridlock. The committee’s goal was to ensure that traffic continued to move, visitors could easily access events and local businesses, and impacts on local residents would be minimal.

Approximately two months before the battle commemoration, JMT was solicited to develop a TMP. A list of multi-modal transportation management strategies was evaluated and developed while collaborating with the 150th Anniversary Committee and other key stakeholders to coordinate and prepare the plan. The TMP was delivered and presented weeks in advance of the event. JMT also assisted with plan implementation and facilitation of event permitting and approvals from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

Strategies considered and implemented via the TMP included:

Temporary satellite parking lots and implementation plans.
Coordination with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and PennDOT for notification to regional traffic on I-76, I-81 and I-83 to utilize alternative routes to “bypass” the Gettysburg area.
A detailed Event Parking Management Plan utilizing a system of portable changeable message signs and an existing dynamic parking management system at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors Center.
Coordination with PennDOT District 8-0 traffic management center for real-time traffic conditions.
Temporary traffic control modifications for local roadways within and around Gettysburg Borough.

The TMP also included an easy reference listing the specific strategies, estimated equipment/materials, manpower, and cost associated with each of the strategies.

JMT created a comprehensive plan in an accelerated timeframe that resulted in mobility for visitors and residents, access to local businesses and an incident-free memorable experience. The plan facilitated stakeholder coordination, provided strategies and advanced placement of solutions with the flexibility to provide speedy resolution to traffic issues. Implementation of the plan widely exceeded expectations, avoiding gridlock, and resulting in 10 successful days of activities for an estimated 235,000 visitors.