McMahon Associates, Inc. helps with openning of PPL Center Arena in Allentown, PA

September 18, 2014

McMAHON ASSOCIATES, INC. ENSURES TRAFFIC AND PARKING ARE SMOOTH OPERATIONS AS THE PPL CENTER OPENS IN DOWNTOWN ALLENTOWN

Allentown, PA, September 18, 2014 – McMahon Associates, Inc., a full-service transportation engineering and planning firm with over 38 years of service, is proud to have played a vital role in helping the City of Allentown prepare for thousands of new patrons visiting its long-anticipated PPL Center Arena, home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL Hockey) and major headlining musical acts, which opened on Friday, September 12th, to glowing reviews.

McMahon completed an Overall Event Management Plan, which included a Mobility Plan and Traffic Control Plan, to provide for smooth traffic flow for arrivals and departures to the City, accommodate multi-modal transportation by promoting pedestrian traffic, and provide an opportunity for extended visits by patrons before and after each event at the PPL Center, as well as other office and mixed-use development, mostly supported by the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). Coordination between stakeholders of the project, including the City’s Public Works Department, the Allentown Parking Authority, Allentown Police Department, PennDOT, private developers, LANTA, and local businesses was an important aspect of these efforts. The Traffic Responsive Signal System for 36 Downtown Allentown intersections, designed by McMahon, ensures that the City can adjust traffic signals to improve timing on demand to accommodate 10,000+ visitors to each event, and accommodate the daily transportation needs of the significant private development occurring Downtown. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski made the announcement during a press conference ahead of the inaugural event, stating that despite critics’ warnings about traffic and parking, Allentown is ready.

John Wichner, PE, PTOE, Senior Project Manager at McMahon Associates’ Downtown Allentown office location explained that a sustainable solution like the Traffic Responsive Signal System can reduce manpower needed to manage traffic and parking on event days. The system allows for signal timing to be adjusted to improve flow on-demand.

A recap of Allentown’s official Event Management Plan announcement can be viewed at the link below.

McMahon Associates, Inc. is a 120-person transportation engineering company, headquartered in Fort Washington, PA with offices throughout the East Coast. More about McMahon’s ITS/Traffic Signal expertise can be found at the link below.