10/3/24

PennDOT Begins Winter Preparations, New Laws and New Equipment Will Enhance Traveler Safety

Secretary Carroll highlights new safety measures, signed into law by Governor Shapiro, that will make construction and maintenance operations more visible to travelers.

PennDOT encourages Pennsylvanians to apply for temporary equipment operator positions statewide for the winter season to help supplement the department’s full-time staff and keep travelers safe.

Harrisburg, PA –Today, in partnership with the PA Turnpike, PennDOT highlighted their preparations for the winter season to ensure Pennsylvanians can travel safely and efficiently across the Commonwealth. New measures signed into law by Governor Shapiro will help keep travelers safe this winter – and new equipment funded by the Governor’s first budget will ensure PennDOT can clear roadways quickly in the event of inclement weather.

“Keeping Pennsylvanians’ travel as safe as possible is at the core of PennDOT’s mission, and the new lighting option signed into law by the Governor is another way we can enhance safety,” Carroll said. “PennDOT and our partners are prepared for the season ahead and we urge the public to prepare themselves and their vehicles as well. We also encourage people to apply to join our full-time or temporary teams to help make this winter a safe one.”

Vehicles from each agency were on site equipped with new, additional green lights which are incorporated with existing flashing or revolving yellow (amber) lights. This additional strategy aims to increase safety by making construction and maintenance operations more visible. PennDOT, the PA Turnpike, municipalities, and contractors working on their behalf may now install flashing or revolving green lights in addition to yellow (amber) lights after Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 78 of 2024 on July 17. The lights have been used in other states and are proven to improve vehicles’ visibility.

The public can access travel information on nearly 40,000 state-maintained roadway miles year-round at www.511PA.com, and during the winter they can find plow-truck locations and details of when state-maintained roadways were last plowed. The information is made possible by PennDOT’s Automated Vehicle Location technology, which uses units in the over 2,600 department-owned and rented plow trucks to send a cellular signal showing a truck’s location. 

To help the public prepare for the season and share information about winter services, PennDOT offers operational information and traveler resources on its winter web page. The site also has a complete winter guide with detailed information about winter services in each of PennDOT’s 11 engineering districts.

As part of its mission and commitment to safety, the PA Turnpike has been preparing its vehicles and system to support roadway safety during the winter months. More than 600 equipment operators and safety patrol personnel as well as traffic operators are ready to provide 24/7 staffing and roadway assistance throughout the winter. The PA Turnpike understands the importance of supporting efficient and reliable travel and works to keep the PA Turnpike system as free of snow and ice as possible.

“We all know that winter weather can be tricky in Pennsylvania,” Shuey said. “Drivers need to be aware of the conditions and drive accordingly. We have employees out there working to clear the roadway who want to get home to their families, so we ask drivers to give plenty of distance between them and the plow trucks, and don’t try to pass trucks spreading salt. It will keep our employees safe and our customers safe. The agencies here today spend a lot of time planning and preparing our crews and resources so that when the first snowflakes fall, we can properly deploy what is needed and where.” 

With more than $186 million budgeted for this winter’s statewide operations, PennDOT deploys about 4,700 on-the-road workers, has more than 728,000 tons of salt on hand across the state and will take salt deliveries throughout the winter. 

PennDOT is actively seeking temporary equipment operators statewide for the winter season to supplement the department’s full-time staff. Details on minimum requirements – such as possession of a CDL – as well as application information?, are available at www.employment.pa.gov/penndot. Through the same website and www.employment.pa.gov, job seekers can apply for other non-operator winter positions such as diesel and construction equipment mechanics, welders, clerks and more.

If motorists encounter snow or ice-covered roads, they should slow down, increase their following distance and avoid distractions. Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 151 crashes resulting in three fatalities and 55 injuries on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways where aggressive-driving behaviors such as speeding or making careless lane changes were factors.

Motorists should prepare for potential wintry weather by ensuring they have supplies in their cars before heading out: food, water, blankets, extra gloves and hats, cell phone charger, hand or foot warmers, windshield brush and scraper, and any specialized items like medications or baby and pet supplies.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 

PennDOT Announces Eighth Annual ‘Innovations Challenge’ for Pennsylvania High School Students

Submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2025

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that high school students from around the state are invited to participate in the eighth annual PennDOT Innovations Challenge, which encourages students to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers. The Innovations Challenge is open to all students in grades 9-12, regardless of their school’s learning model.

On average, more than 350 unrestrained fatalities occur on Pennsylvania’s roadways annually. PennDOT is committed to continuously improving roadway safety and deploys a multi-faceted strategy, which involves promoting behavioral programs and implementing infrastructure improvements. Nevertheless, the number of unrestrained fatalities remains high and changing driver and passenger behavior is crucial to solving this issue.

For this year’s challenge, students are asked to develop a cost-effective, innovative solution that can help PennDOT more effectively increase awareness of seat belt safety and change behavior to improve roadway safety.

“Safety is the focus of everything we do at PennDOT, and seat belt safety is vital to reducing fatalities and moving toward zero deaths on our roadways,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Hearing fresh perspectives from our youngest drivers on how to encourage seat belt usage and change behavior is a welcome prospect. I am excited to see what concepts the students develop.”

Regional Innovations Challenge winners will be selected and invited to present their solutions to the PennDOT Secretary and a panel of judges, who will determine the statewide winner. For this year’s challenge, four different organizations are providing a combined total award of $6,000 to the statewide winning team.

These organizations include: the Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, an educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors (APC) organization; the American Council of Engineering Companies of PA (ACEC/PA); the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MASITE) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania (ITSPA) are providing a combined

For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/innovation and click on the blue Innovations Challenge tile on the right side of the page. The submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2025.

Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.pa.gov/news or choose a region under “Regional Offices.” Information about the state’s infrastructure and results PennDOT is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at www.penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

CBRPD approved solicitation permits in Chalfont Borough for 3 employees of Moxie Pest Control, active thru 8/24/24.  Solicitation hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm.  Kevin Wilcox, Aden James, and John Stanger were given ID cards (issued by CBRPD) with their name, Moxie Pest Control, with valid dates noted.

Shapiro Administration Reminds Pennsylvanians to Exercise Caution During Tropical Storm Debby

Heavy rains expected across PA tonight (8/8/24) and tomorrow (8/9/24)

Harrisburg, PA – With heavy widespread rainfall anticipated across the state tonight into Friday night due to Tropical Storm Debby, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) remind Pennsylvanians to exercise caution during periods of heavy rain and be alert for potential flooding on roadways and in low-lying areas.

Rain is expected to begin after midnight tonight and continue throughout Friday, wrapping up shortly after midnight. While the heaviest rain is expected to impact central Pennsylvania, periods of heavy rain are possible elsewhere in the Commonwealth. This intense rainfall is expected to cause flash flooding which includes roadways that may become impassable.

“Our crews have been preparing for days by clearing out debris around drainage inlets and under bridges while readying equipment,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “With the forecast amount of rain, we remind the public to not drive on roads that are covered with water because even shallow, swiftly flowing water can wash a car from a roadway.”

Motorists should watch for ponding on roadways and flooding in poor drainage areas while traveling.

“We are working with our state agency partners to be ready with any state resources that are needed to support county and local response to this storm,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “This is the time for everyone at home to make sure they’re ready by reviewing their family emergency plans, making sure they have multiple ways to get severe weather alerts, and avoiding any unnecessary travel as conditions get worse.”

Have at least two ways to receive weather alerts, and know what actions to take when the National Weather Service issues an alert. A watch is issued when weather conditions are favorable for hazardous weather to occur in the near future, giving you time to prepare for further action. You should pay close attention to changing conditions during a watch. A warning is issued when the hazardous weather is occurring, which is your trigger to take immediate action to keep you and your loved ones safe.

PennDOT warns motorists not to drive across roads covered with water because even shallow, swiftly flowing water can wash a car from a roadway. Also, the roadbed may not be intact under the water. Never drive around barricades or signs on closed roads – Turn Around, Don’t Drown.

Anyone planning to travel should closely monitor weather conditions along travel routes. Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting 511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.