PennDOT Earns Regional America’s Transportation Awards for Operations Excellence and Best Use of Technology
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently received regional America’s Transportation Awards for operational excellence and best use of technology.
The department’s operational excellence award was for the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement ProgramOpens In A New Window and the best use of technology award was for the Shaler Street Bridge ReplacementOpens In A New Window.
“Innovation is at the heart of PennDOT initiatives across the state,” said PennDOT Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian. “It is gratifying to have our efforts recognized by our transportation partners.”
The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program works by deploying a mobile unit to an active work zone to detect any vehicles going at least 11 miles over the speed limit. When a vehicle goes over the limit, its license plate is captured, and a violation is mailed to the address on file. More info on the program can be found at workzonecameras.PennDOT.gov.
The Shaler Street Bridge Replacement project marks the first use of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) in Pennsylvania. This technology allowed the department to replace the Shaler Street Bridge over busy Route 19 in Allegheny County over the course of two weekends. For more information about this project, visit PennDOT’s website.
The America’s Transportation Awards competition is sponsored by American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Automobile Association (AAA), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. State DOTs compete in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology and Innovation; and Operations Excellence. Each category is also designated by budget size. Projects are judged within their region. In the Northeastern region, seven states nominated 15 projects.
The Automated Work Zone Enforcement Program is a five-year pilot study to address work zone safety in the state. For the Shaler Street Bridge Replacement project, the department used SPMTs do the work of removing and replacing old bridge panels, helping speed up the construction process.
Learn more about America’s Transportation Awards at https://americastransportationawards.org/2020-nasto-projects
