Damaged I-70 Bridge to Come Down

PennDOT will bring down a bridge over I-70 in Washington County this morning. The emergency work comes a day after a truck carrying an oversize load struck the bridge in
Somerset Township. PennDOT inspectors who checked the bridge yesterday say it needs to come down immediately. The Interstate is closed for the near future. Vehicles are getting off at the McIlvaine Road exit, then immediately back on to avoid going under the damaged overpass. As 40,000 vehicles use that stretch of Interstate 70 each day. State police are looking for the rig that damaged the bridge. Witnesses say the truck hit the overpass and then sped away.

PennDOT Adds 4-year Plan Map to Web

In August, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Committee approved a new Transportation Improvement Program that outlines state spending on roads and bridges for the next 4 years. PennDOT Spokesperson Rich Kirkpatrick says the department decided to put all that information on the web in the form of an interactive map. Users can call up each county and see what projects are included in the 4-year plan. After clicking on the specific roadway, a link to a PFD containing project specifics pops up on the page. Several of the projects also include a link to a video clip of the section to be repaired. The plan is updated every two years and Kirkpatrick says due to the state’s tight budget, this year’s plan is 24% smaller than the plan adopted 2 years ago. "This website enhancement is part of our ongoing effort to improve communications with the public and our partners," says PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler, "Anyone can now go online to see the details of what improvements we can afford.” The Transportation Improvement Program, which took effect Oct. 1, includes highway and bridge projects totaling $10.2 billion.

Legislation Would Eliminate Turnpike Commission

State Representative Mike Vereb has introduced legislation to the House of Representatives that would eliminate the Turnpike Commission and turn its operational responsibilities over to PennDot. Vereb says the Turnpike Commission is corrupt and cannot be trusted because of its past mishandling of money and contracts. Allen Biehler, head of the Turnpike Commission also is the Secretary of PennDot. Biehler says the commission has changed it process for hiring in order to maximize competition among service providers.

Motorists Hit the Road for Thanksgiving

Drivers will flood Pennsylvania’s highways and interstates over the coming days. Transportation Secretary Alan Biehler says the Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest—and most dangerous—stretches of the year.
He says last Thanksgiving saw more accidents than any other holiday, but notes PennDOT will try to ease congestion.

"Our road construction, in general, will be shut down during the holidays. There might be a few jobs continuing, depending on the type of work, but for the most part our work will be shut down during the holidays."

Pennsylvania drivers can get updates on traffic, weather and road conditions by dialing 5-1-1. Biehler is asking motorists to stay alert behind the wheel, and keep distractions to a minimum. He’s also reminding Pennsylvanians to wear their seatbelts and nominate a designated driver if holiday celebrations involve drinking.

PennDOT Launches Thanksgiving Safety Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has launched Operation Safe Holiday, a campaign designed to cut down the high number of car crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Spokesperson Alison Wenger says both state and municipal police forces will amp up their patrols and set up checkpoints around areas with high crash rates.

According to PennDOT, 53 people died and more than 5,300 crashed their cars in Pennsylvania during the Thanksgiving season last year, making it the most dangerous holiday to drive.

Wenger says commuters can call 511 from their mobile phone for weather and traffic updates to help reduce those numbers.

PennDOT Releases Veterans License Plates

Pennsylvania veterans can now get a special license plate denoting their military branch and veteran status. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is offering these plates for a $20 fee. They display the seal of the veteran’s branch of service on a blue background. Interested persons should visit the PennDOT website to download an order form.

GOP Lawmakers to Fight New Bid to Toll I-80

Pennsylvania House Republicans along the Interstate 80 corridor say they will fight the Rendell Administration's renewed effort to toll I-80. PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler, who was also recently named as chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, told a House Democratic Policy Committee that PennDOT and the commission plan to submit a revised application for the toll proposal to the federal government later this year. State Representative Scott Hutchinson of Venango County says the I-80 Republicans are unified against this plan which he says would devastate rural northwestern Pennsylvania and transfer money to urban areas...."So we are renewing our fight to stop the tolling plan on Interstate 80, including chopping the Turnpike Commission down to size and maybe eliminating it altogether. I think they have a poor track record, a patronage history and a history of corruption we should end."
Hutchinson says tolling the interstate would hinder the state's economic recovery.

Governor Invests $76 million in Road and Pedestrian Improvements

Governor Rendell has allotted $76 million throughout the state to further road and walkway initiatives. Penn DOT spokesperson Rich Kirkpatrick says $59.2 million will be dedicated to Smart Transportation-related projects and $16.8 million for Safe Routes to School projects, respectively. Of the state money, roughly $15 million will be used within the Pittsburgh region. This will go toward projects such as improving walk ability around Fifth and Forbes Avenues in Oakland, installing corridor enhancements on the Point Park University campus and creating sidewalks and signs at a few nearby elementary schools. Kirkpatrick says these projects are to create thousands of jobs, and will also provide more traveling options for people to get from one place to another.

Stimulus Funds Bridge Project in Beaver

The state has launched its first Federal Stimulus funded road project in Southwestern Pennsylvania. PennDOT began work on the Route 51 Beaver-Rochester Bridge. Governor Ed Rendell says, "This project simply would not have happened if stimulus funds were not available.” The bridge project will use $10 million of the $1 billion in federal transportation stimulus funds. The state says bridge over the Beaver River between Beaver and Rochester carries between 10,000 and 15,000 vehicles a day. The repair project includes painting, expansion dam and rocker bearing replacements, steel and concrete repairs and other rehabilitation efforts. The project is to be completed in late 2010. Eventually a total of seven projects in District 11 will be funded by stimulus funds.

PA Transportation Projects Outlined

Pennsylvania transportation officials have finalized the list of infrastructure projects the state's $1.03 billion stimulus grant will fund.
The projects range in price from 66 million dollars to restore Philadelphia's Girard Point bridge to a 40-thousand dollar effort to repair a span crossing a creek in Liberty Township, Tioga County. In all, 399 bridges and 608 miles of road will be repaired, repaved or upgraded with stimulus funding. Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler says it's going to be a busy construction season...

"The deadline that's set in the program is to make sure that we've got the work started within 12 months. Our intent is to get that work started in approximately six months so we can really charge the economy. Our intent is frankly to beat those deadlines significantly."

Biehler says the projects will create thousands of construction jobs, citing a federal formula crediting every billion dollars of infrastructure spending with the generation of 30-thousand jobs.
State transportation officials worked with regional planning organizations to select the final projects. In Allegheny County, 46 million dollars will be spent on Route 28 in Pittsburgh and Millvale to prepare the road for a widening project. $30.5 million will go toward repairs on the Ft. Duquesne Bridge.
Biehler says he hopes that every project will be completed by 2010. A quarter of the funding goes toward projects in southwestern Pennsylvania, another quarter to the southeastern region, and the other half to the remainder of the state.

Meeting to be Held on Rt. 910 Revamping

PennDOT will hold a public meeting in Indiana Township tomorrow, regarding the reconstruction of Route 910 and its effects on traffic in Allegheny County. The gathering at the township's Town Hall will begin at 7:00 p.m and is open to everyone. PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi says among the repairs starting this summer will be resurfacing the roadway, upgrading the guide rail, fixing minor bridges and installing new drainage. "It's been about 20-plus years since any significant improvements have occurred on Route 910," says Struzzi. PennDOT will begin the meeting with a presentation about what work will be done, detour routes and the construction schedule. Questions will be entertained at the meeting.

PennDot Testing Soy For Use On Roads

PennDot's local office is testing a liquid soy product to be used as a sealant for roadways in the region. The soy product is not yet ready for use but looks promising according to PennDot Engineer Mike McCart. The liquid soy is being tested as a sealant that prevents deterioration of roadways much the same way staining decks improves the life of the wood. McCart said there is no timetable as to when the soy would be available for use on state and local roadways because a key part of the testing is making sure the sealant will last the test of time.

Work To Start On Parkway North Inbound On Sunday

PennDot District 11 will be closing the inbound (southbound) lane of the parkway north starting on Sunday August 3rd, 2008. The work that is being done is preventative maintenance because no significant repairs have been made on the roadway since it's opening in 1989. The project will preserve the roadway and bridges to prevent future more costly maintenance. Traffic will shift to the HOV lanes. The project is expected to be completed by mid-September.

Westmoreland Traffic Deaths Up

The death toll from auto-related accidents in Westmoreland County is climbing, with 34 fatalities so far this year.

Jay Ofsanik, a PennDOT safety spokesperson, says the accident reports show a trend. People who sped, were under the influence of alcohol, or did not wear a seat belt, were more likely to die in an accident.

Last year, there were 50 total fatalities. In 2006, there were 35.

Ofsanik says these rates are startling, and that driving slower will reduce the chances of a fatal accident.

Ofsanik also says young people between the ages of 16 to 25 were involved in half of these accidents, probably due to a combination of their inexperience and the preceding trends.

Route 30 Designated Highway Safety Corridor

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has designated a 17-mile stretch of Route 30 between Jennerstown and Reels Corner to be a Highway Safety Corridor. It has earned this distinction as a result of high crash rates stemming from aggressive driving. Drivers along this stretch can expect more strict policing and heavier fines if they are caught speeding, driving aggressively, or driving under the influence. PennDOT District 9 Spokesperson Pam Kane says the move is an effort to lower the number of accidents and fatal crashes on the stretch. Since 2002, that area of the highway has been the scene of 15 deaths in a total of 11 fatal crashes.