• Subscribe
  • Magazine
  • 40 Under 40
  • Supplier's Directory
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
    1. Home

    PennDOT Secretary Richards Outlines Transportation Progress

    Nov. 13, 2015
    Related To: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)

    PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards on Nov. 12, outlined PennDOT’s progress during the year advancing transportation projects and modernizing its operations. She also announced that the department is undertaking a study to gauge preparedness for possible extreme weather events.

    “With the resources from the Act 89 transportation funding law, we have boosted the state’s economy and addressed pavement and bridge backlogs by awarding contracts totaling $2.4 billion this year, 60 percent more than we could have without Act 89,” Richards said. “We’re also preparing for the future by studying where our assets have risks or vulnerabilities to flooding and other effects of intense storms.”

    The first phase of the extreme weather vulnerability study, to be completed by September, involves documenting historic weather impacts on the road and bridge network and identifying potential impacts in the future. The study will engage emergency management officials, PennDOT’s planning partners as well as other stakeholders and lead to later phases. The goal is to develop strategies to increase the resiliency of PennDOT’s assets and adopt strategies into planning, design and operations to allow PennDOT to successfully cope with severe weather events.

    In addition to supplementing information for future investment decisions, the study could assist with future emergency management planning and information sharing. Recognizing that closures or damage from extreme weather events impacts emergency responder access as well as local businesses, emergency management and local officials could potentially use the study information in planning and preparing for future weather events.

     Other milestones Richards referenced during a roundtable session with reporters:

    • The start of 598 construction contracts worth $2.4 billion this calendar year.
    • Pavement improvements to 6,077 miles of highways in 2015, compared to 5,534 in 2014 and 5,040 in 2013.
    • The governor’s recent announcement of the Automated vehicle Locator (AVL) system to help PennDOT better manage winter storms and give drivers a real time view on 511PA of how snow plows are deployed.
    • The department’s months-long collaboration with local, state and federal agencies to develop comprehensive traffic operations plans and communications efforts, then successfully implementing those measures during the Papal visit in September.
    • The adoption of mobile construction applications that allow real-time data entry of construction inspection results, saving time and money on highway and bridge projects. The program was a finalist this year for a national IT award.
    • The unveiling of a new project website, www.Projects.PennDOT.gov, that gives residents information on completed, underway and future projects.
    • Steps to improve wait times at Driver License Centers.
    • Ongoing track and station improvements along the Keystone passenger rail corridor.
    • Hiring of a PennDOT bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.

    “I’m pleased to see that PennDOT is taking my priority of a ‘Government That Works’ to heart with what they’ve accomplished and will work on in the future,” Governor Tom Wolf said of the announcement. “These are a few examples of how we’re continually showing responsible use of taxpayer resources and looking for more opportunities to do so.”