WELCOME

Lower Moreland High School Team Wins Innovations Challenge

Each year, PennDOT's Innovations Challenge invites teams of high school students in ninth through 12th grades to use their problem-solving, creative, and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges.

The 2021 challenge asked students to develop an innovative and implementable solution that helps address Pennsylvania's transportation revenue shortfall by identifying potential new funding streams, aside from additional gas taxes, tolls or mileage-based user fees, to help ensure adequate transportation funding for the future.

With their idea of installing power generating plates across Pennsylvania's road network, Lower Moreland High School's, Montgomery County, "Team Road Warriors" won first place. The team advocated the use of Piezoelectric plates, which involve two metal plates with various kinds of crystals between them. Power generated from the devices would be sold to electric producers to generate a new revenue source for Pennsylvania's transportation system.

In the competition, which drew 30 entries from high schools around the state, second place was awarded to the Hill School, Montgomery County, "Team the Blues," and their proposal, "PA Road Rewards," a system of game apps that generates awards and tracks driving behaviors. Third place was awarded to North Allegheny Cyber Academy's, Allegheny County, "Team North Allegheny." They proposed higher registration fees with a rebate based on miles driven each year.

The top three teams divided a $5,500 cash prize donated by the Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, the educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors; the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania; and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association.

• Category: Other

Close Article

ForeFlight and BART Technology Makes Difference for PennDOT's Flight Operations

With a state as large as Pennsylvania, PennDOT's Flight Operations plays an important role in ensuring state government's top executives can reach each region quickly. Chief Pilot Keith Doersom takes his job very seriously, and works to ensure that the most up-to-date technology is deployed to help keep flights safe, maintain proper records and keep costs to a minimum.

At Doersom's urging, PennDOT deployed the Business Aviation Recordkeeping & Tracking (BART) scheduling and billing software, along with ForeFlight charting software. The two also integrate with CAMP, a computerized aircraft maintenance program. The systems work together to increase safety and save money.

The software assists the pilots in charting courses, filing flight plans, monitoring weather en route, providing updates on airport conditions and tracking passenger manifests, schedules and billing.

"It takes a bunch of steps and combines them together instead of forcing us to do things multiple times," he said. "Before it took hours to do record keeping; now it takes five minutes."

One important benefit is cost savings, roughly $2,000 a year switching from paper records to electronic versions and an additional $2,000 to $3,000 a year with the integration of BART and ForeFlight.

The ForeFlight software can be loaded on iPads making real-time use feasible, such as offering optional flight paths while travel is underway. It also integrates with separate billing software, known as BART.

From a safety standpoint, one important ForeFlight feature is calculating fuel consumption.

"When you're burning 850 pounds of fuel an hour and flying all day, it is never off more than 50 pounds," Doersom said. "It's really accurate."

"There are tremendous benefits in safety, efficiency and cost savings, and safety is first," he added. "It has worked very well for us."

• Category: Aviation

Close Article

Automated Flagger Devices Enhance Safety and Efficiency

Safety is critical to PennDOT successfully meeting its mission to maintain and enhance transportation across the state. But in recent years, work zone crashes have totaled between 1,000 and 2,000 a year with more than a dozen fatalities, including both drivers and workers, each year.

Managing traffic flow during maintenance operations on narrow roads is always a challenge, and Curtis L. Peters, assistant highway maintenance manager in Allegheny County, came up with a way to make the operation safer, more efficient, and less costly.

Thanks to Peters' efforts, District 11 has deployed automated flagger assist devices.

During 2021, automated flaggers were used a second time. The cost to rent an automated flagger device is just $99 a day, and one flagger can operate it, compared to an estimated cost of $1,000 a day for a contractor to supply two flaggers. The county has estimated cost savings of $2,100 per week or about $44,000 for the 2020 season. Automated flaggers are now deployed on about 80 percent of the drainage crew repair jobs in Allegheny County.

"It started with me driving to work," Peters said. "I noticed that a utility contractor was using them and it sparked my interest," Peters said.

He checked with his county manager and equipment manager to see if PennDOT could rent the devices.

The automated devices are placed at each end of the work zone and can be operated by one person using a remote controller. The devices have a stop bar like a school bus or railroad crossing that drops down, as well as red and yellow lights, to control traffic movement.

"It reduces the flagger from two to one and allows the operator of the devices to stand in the middle of the operation to be more out of harm's way," Peters said.

In addition, flaggers are now being supplied with small air horns that they can deploy in emergency situations to keep everyone safe.

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

Saving Money with Aftermarket Crew Cab Modifications

With responsibility for keeping nearly 40,000 miles of roads in good shape and facing rising equipment costs, PennDOT's fleet maintenance employees looked for ways to save resources while getting equipment to ensure efficient work. The effort is translating into significant cost savings.

"We started looking at the capital equipment budget," said Dean A. Poleti, P.E., maintenance services engineer in PennDOT's District 11, based in Allegheny County. "District 11 does not have a huge pot of money every year. The equipment budget was flat, but prices were going up for crew cabs."

Traditionally, PennDOT was buying a heavy-duty pickup truck with dual tires on both sides of the rear axle. The cost, according to Denny Koozer, chief of PennDOT's Fleet Operations, was $65,500.

Poleti, whose background was highway construction, noted that contractors use regular pick-ups with built-in toolboxes.

Poleti checked about that option with William J. Cleaver, District 11 equipment manager, and Aaron Raible, now Armstrong County maintenance manager and former equipment manager in Allegheny County.

"They said, 'Yes,' we could work it out with Fleet Management," Poleti said.

Under a five-year pilot started in 2019, PennDOT purchased 52 4x4 pick-up trucks without a service bed. Vendors were engaged to install modifications including toolboxes, flashing LED amber lights and a service bed. Instead of $65,000, the new arrangement costs $35,000 for the pick-up truck and $12,000 for the modifications, for a total of $47,000, according to Koozer.

He said other savings include better fuel consumption by nearly one mile per gallon and $400 less a year per truck, or roughly $4,000 per truck over 10 years, in ongoing maintenance costs.

"There is tremendous cost savings," Raible noted. "There is flexibility to customize each unit case by case."

Cleaver noted that not every maintenance unit can use the smaller truck, since some operations, such as sign placement, require the use of heavier equipment more suitable to the bigger truck.

But for those operations not tied to big equipment, the smaller truck has been most welcome.

"The foremen really like the truck," Poleti said. "We gave them four-wheel drive, which they didn't have before, and since it's smaller, it's easier to park in their driveways when they start their day from home and go directly to the work sites. It's not taking up as much room and they like that aspect."

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Driver and Vehicle Services Achieves Dealer Agent Milestone

Over the past 25 years, PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) has been an innovation leader, breaking the old image that DMVs mean lost time and awful customer service. In one of its recent advances, DVS has transformed its relationship with vehicle dealers through its Dealer Agent Services.

The innovation allows dealers to perform online services, such as dealer registration renewals and full agent contract updates. The move to online services and trainings translated into reduced travel-associated costs for PennDOT's contracted business partners and replaced paper processes with electronic versions. There is time savings for the customer who no longer has to wait for registration cards or updated credentials to arrive via the mail. They are able to print the documents out after payment is made.

"They love it," said Angel Layton, section manager for Regulated Client Services in the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. "[Dealers] are able to go in at their convenience and do their own transactions. ... It is very convenient. They can print off all their documents in their offices or homes and have it readily available. They don't have to wait for them to come in the mail. They are very pleased with it."

Among the processes covered by the innovation, said Eric Alsvan, Customer Service Division chief for customer services, are ordering dealer license plates for their vehicle inventory, updating address information, and updating personnel, insurance and bond information.

Layton said the innovation stemmed from DVS's desire to replace an antiquated paper-based system with one that dealers and agents could do for themselves. Roughly 5,500 dealers and agents use the system.

• Category: Driver & Vehicle Services

Close Article

Critical Vehicle Safety Inspection Program Adopts Updated Processes

PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services oversees the safety inspection of nearly 11 million vehicles and has taken steps to streamline this important process.

The Vehicle Inspection Division deploys 17 Quality Assurance Officers (QAOs) and 35 third-party QAOs to annually audit the 17,000 inspection stations across Pennsylvania. What was once a paper-based process has now been moved to laptops so the audits are handled more quickly, said Troy Roadcap, the Vehicle Inspection Division's Field Operations Section manager.

A new electronic-based process also was established for updating inspection station information.

Roadcap noted that with high turnover at some of the stations, the QAOs often had to make multiple trips to stations to update station manager information.

"This change eliminated travel back and forth," he said. "It eliminated a lot of expenses and is more customer friendly."

DVS also has shifted from paper identification cards for the station inspectors to plastic credit card style cards. The inspectors can access applications through an online training portal and the cards are issued by a contractor, saving the department an estimated $4,000 annually and close to 400 hours per year.

• Category: Driver & Vehicle Services

Close Article

District Paint Crew Saves Time with Practical Truck Modification

Line painting is a critical safety function and one of the paint crews in PennDOT's District 9 office, based in Blair County, came up with a solution to a problem that was slowing operations.

The exhaust outlet to the main engine of the new paint trucks does not account for the height of the compressor's radiator and is in a direct line with it causing the compressor to prematurely overheat on a regular basis. Although the paint truck has a diesel engine and a diesel compressor, the paint truck uses compressed air to drive the pumps and motors to place the paint and reflective beads on the highway.

"While painting, the compressor would often overheat, causing a shutdown of operations and then resume once the compressor cooled to a safe level," said John F. Fraundorfer, P.E., assistant district traffic engineer for operations.

The problem translated into lost painting time, roughly 20 line miles a day or 80 line miles a week.

"With 26 weeks of painting, the delay caused about 2,080 line miles per year," Fraundorfer said. That also meant a loss of $15,000 to $20,000 to county maintenance budgets and fewer line miles painted. Line painting is a critical part of maintaining safe nighttime and daytime driving conditions.

Two paint crew members, Terry L. Miller, assistant highway maintenance manager, and Shawn Lanzendorfer, a former PennDOT employee, were not about to let the issue fester.

"Me and the other guy were looking at the exhaust (from the truck) going right into the top of the compressor, we talked about it, and we said, 'We can raise it (the exhaust pipe)'," said Miller, a 14-year veteran with the paint crew who has since been promoted to assistant highway maintenance manager for Huntingdon County.

"We raised it eight inches and got it away from the compressor," Miller said.

According to Fraundorfer, the crew used spare parts and pieced them together, to fix their primary truck as well as a second truck with the same issue.

"We only have so much time to paint," Fraundorfer said. "With snow in winter and leaves in the fall ... and spring rains, there is limited time to paint. ... This was a total win-win for the department."

Fraundorfer praised the crew for their willingness to step up when faced with a problem impacting efficient maintenance operations.

"I am blessed with some talented people who work for me and are willing to take the initiative to solve issues for the Department, and I am willing to listen and hear their concerns to keep us moving forward," he said.

Miller concluded that, "It's very important for the staff to tackle these kinds of issues. Ideas implemented like this, allow the equipment to run more efficiently giving our end users a safe highway to use year-round."

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Sweeper Use in Philadelphia Tackles Tough Litter Issues

Keeping roadways clean is a big part of PennDOT's maintenance mission and Daniel R. Graham, Philadelphia maintenance manager in PennDOT's District 6, took special interest in the task when he was named to his present position in 2018. His actions meant big savings as well.

Previous county management had ordered an innovative sweeper truck that was delivered after Graham took control. It has a special vacuum attachment that reaches deep into drains and other tough-to-reach spots.

The city seems to attract litterbugs. Graham recently had to coordinate the removal of 5,000 used tires someone dumped under one of the interstates in the city. Each day, his crews are dealing with road dirt, trash, bottles and other debris. Staff picks up larger debris in front of the sweeper.

"We get so much maintenance activity aimed at fighting litter and debris on highways in the city," he said. "We are cleaning up constantly."

Under Graham's leadership, the county now deploys its special sweeper 24 hours a day over three work shifts, five days a week. The move eliminated the need for his team to rent five sweepers a day costing roughly $1 million a year.

"Our sweeper has a big hose like an elephant's snout that connects to different spots on the truck and you can maneuver it," Graham said.

The special attachment is targeted for drain clearing, which is even more important as changing weather patterns are producing heavier and more frequent rainfall, and effectively clearing drains helps minimize flood damage.

"We saved lot of money with swapping out the rental sweepers and having our own guys doing the job," Graham said.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT Innovation Teamwork Solves Vexing Building Damage Issue

At every level of PennDOT, its dedicated staff are always looking for ways to solve problems, and make operations safer and more efficient.

One example is the way the maintenance staff in PennDOT's Lackawanna County operations addressed a vexing issue. They noted that there was a consistent problem with materials delivery drivers inadvertently damaging storage buildings. Too often, raised truck beds were hitting the buildings. One of the county foremen asked Sign Foreman John White if there was anything he could do.

Working with PennDOT colleague Matt Kime, White fashioned two signs using a vinyl cutter he had in his office. They warned drivers not to attempt a delivery without having a spotter to ensure the trucks would not hit the buildings.

"The foreman was actually the one who kicked my butt to get it going," White remembered. "Once we put up them up, the first ones actually worked well, and we started putting them on the rest of the domes."

The innovation journey continued thanks to Dawn Kidder, roadway programs manager, and John Hitchcock, roadway programs specialist, in PennDOT's District 4 in northeastern Pennsylvania.

"We were out doing stockpile checks before winter," Kidder said. "We happened to see the signs at Lackawanna County and thought that was really a good idea. Everybody has issues with deliveries hitting our buildings."

Kidder said she and Hitchcock took pictures and shared them with Garrett Westover, P.E., acting assistant district executive for maintenance.

"He (Westover) loved the idea," Hitchcock said. "We did a little more research and found out that White put them on. We got a hold of him and implemented it district-wide."

Westover, now a regional manager with PennDOT's Operations and Performance Office, said damaged buildings could be shut down for long periods while their structural integrity is checked.

"It could be closed for a couple days to several months, and we certainly don't want to close down a stockpile building in winter," he said.

Westover took the issue to the Traffic Unit in Central Office to ensure a sign with a standard design could be used across PennDOT was in place. As a result, the new standard sign is available for use at every stockpile statewide.

Westover said he appreciated Kidder's and Hitchcock's attention to the problem.

"It's a good thing to put into place and tie back to our local district maintenance policy," he said. "Ultimately, we are not having more facilities being hit."

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT Embraces Novel Approach to Bridge Replacement

When it came time for a critically needed bridge replacement over a congested route in Pittsburgh, PennDOT's District 11 team turned to the innovative self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) to speed up the job.

SPMTs were used for the first time on a PennDOT project to place the new Shaler Street Bridge superstructure in just two days. The existing bridge was a deteriorating three-span structure on a 14 percent grade crossing State Route 19.

With approximately 28,000 vehicles passing below it daily, a primary goal for replacing the bridge was to minimize traffic impacts along the State Route 19 corridor, a critical link between I-376 and Pittsburgh's west end. State Route 19 is also a primary route to and from Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any closures had to be coordinated around stadium events.

"The goal was to reduce closure time to Route 19," said Shane Szalankiewicz, P.E., District 11 bridge engineer. "Route 19 was closed for a weekend for demolition of the existing superstructure, then a Sunday through Wednesday to move the new superstructure into place with the SPMTs."

The new two-span superstructure was built in a nearby staging area and moved into place with the SPMTs once complete, significantly reducing the Shaler Street closure from approximately six months for conventional construction to just 71 days.

The twin 70-foot-long spans each weighed 260 tons and were moved 500 feet on the SPMTs. The complex and urban nature of the project site resulted in the bridge having roughly 13 inches of horizontal clearance to buildings along the move path.

Use of SPMTs resulted in a net user cost savings of approximately $2.2 million from the reduction in traffic restrictions during construction.

The project won the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) 2021 Structural Systems Diamond Award, the ASHE Pittsburgh Section's Outstanding Highway Engineering Award and an ASHE National Project Award.

SPMTs are multi-axle trailers with an adjustable flat bed for transporting heavy loads. The SPMT system used for the Shaler Street Bridge consisted of two "lines" of two 6-axle modules, four modules in total. Each axle line had a maximum load capacity of 44 tons. Each module was fitted with its own control system, allowing the possibility of 360° and independent axle movement. This enabled them to rotate and transport objects in any direction.

Loads can be transported and placed with millimeter precision, making them ideally suited for congested project sites. The modules can be connected in an endless number of combinations. Their deck height can be hydraulically adjusted by approximately 24 inches, enabling vertical lifting or lowering of the load. Due to their versatility, SPMTs can lift and move virtually every heavy load.

SPMTs are the same width as a standard size shipping container, allowing for cost-effective mobilization to virtually any location. SPMTs are also equipped with air-filled tires, which aid in reducing ground bearing pressure and ensures that the working surface is preserved.

• Category: Construction

Close Article

Warren/Forest County Brine Shop Helps Fight Tough Winter Weather

Northwestern Pennsylvania sees the largest accumulation of snow statewide from repeated winter storms, and PennDOT's Warren/Forest county maintenance sets the bar high for producing brine, one of the most useful winter weapons against the ravages of cold, stormy weather.

Brine, which is essentially concentrated salt water, is used for various winter storm fighting activities to keep Pennsylvania roads safe during winter months.

The Warren brine shop has been successful for many years, and at its peak, provided more than two million gallons of brine to PennDOT operations in McKean, Crawford, Erie, Venango, and Forest counties.

Embracing PennDOT's Lean mentality, Warren/Forest built on its performance to reach even higher levels.

The first improvement was to create a better storage area for spare pumps and pumps stored over the winter. The Maintenance Repairmen, Josh Benjamin and Frank Byers, built shelving units to store the pumps to help ensure that if one pump fails there is another to take its place. Additionally, a mock brine pumping area was created to test electrical and pumping capabilities for pump rehabilitation and troubleshooting in the workshop. Previously, pumps were stored on the shop floor and testing was limited to field diagnostics, which usually resulted in pumps being replaced instead of repaired.

"Replacing pumps is a costly venture, and the in-house testing setup allows the team to diagnose pump problems and ensure repairs are successful," said Adam Elms, Warren/Forest county manager.

The second improvement was altering how the brine was produced. That included relocating the supply gallon meter to more accurate locations, adjusting valves, removing unneeded filters, and making brine directly into a mixing tank.

These changes permit brine to be made at a faster rate (more gallons per hour) with no water supply flow rate adjustments needed. Production went from 5,000 gallons per hour to 7,500 gallons per hour with no loss of quality or consistency. All these changes have improved the facility, increased production, and have made a more consistent product.

"Our crews are committed to keeping our services as innovative as possible, to better serve the people who rely on our road system," Elms concluded.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Thinking Outside the Box: Litter Pickup in Allegheny County

Litter along Pennsylvania roads is a vexing problem, and Sandra O'Neill, PennDOT roadway programs technician and Allegheny County Adopt A Highway coordinator, wanted to keep her volunteers fully stocked with work materials while keeping them safe during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Thinking out of the box, she decided a new storage box outside her maintenance office would be the way to keep supplies flowing unimpeded to her 260 Adopt A Highway groups and 100 Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partners.

She turned to her Pittsburgh-based, District 11 bridge crew for help and using leftover lumber from their projects, they (Joe Bassetti, Dave Gill, Steve Stokes and Chuck Berie) constructed a five-foot cube box. The box allowed O'Neill to store the needed collection bags, gloves and safety vests so the volunteers could sustain their important clean-up work with significantly reduced touchpoints and in-person contact as required by COVID-19 restrictions.

"We were not in our maintenance building, and no one was allowed in, so with the supplies in the curbside box, they could still participate and get supplies for their pick-up events," O'Neill said. "It was curb side with no contact, which was a large issue. This way, they could still participate in the program." She added, "It turned out to work very well, even now."

With the maintenance office still dividing hours between teleworking and in-office, the box allows pick up at any time convenient for the volunteers.

O'Neill, a 10-year PennDOT veteran who has run the Adopt A Highway program for PennDOT's Allegheny County maintenance operations since 2017, noted that during the COVID-related isolation, litter just piled up.

"Trash has just doubled," she said. But thanks to her pick up box idea, "Groups are able to do this and get back out and keep cleaning."

The Adopt A Highway program is vital to PennDOT's ongoing roadside beautification efforts, and O'Neill's dedication and foresight is helping keep the mission alive and well during trying times.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Virtual Inspections Speed Utilities and HOP Projects

The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted PennDOT to embrace an innovative way to keep inspections going for critically needed Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) and utilities projects.

Francis J. Hanney, senior manager, Transportation Services Division, in PennDOT's Engineering District 6, which covers the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania region including Philadelphia, developed the concept of virtual inspections for the department's HOP and utility projects.

"When the pandemic hit in March 2020, there were a number of essential, life-sustaining utility projects that were unable to proceed," Hanney said. "We had to find a way to allow these projects to move forward so that the public could continue to have access to water and other utilities without service being interrupted."

An HOP is a legal agreement that PennDOT issues to those wishing to perform work within the state highway or gain access to the state highway with a driveway or local road. PennDOT may require inspection as a condition of an HOP. Typically, this is performed in person at the site by a certified PennDOT inspector. PennDOT also inspects work by utilities done within the state right-of-way. However, during the pandemic, there were restrictions on in-person attendance at work sites, and thus this type of inspection could not occur.

With the prevalence of camera phones, tablets and other technologies on the job site, Hanney said, "Why not use this available technology to create a virtual inspection regime so we could monitor projects working remotely?"

Hanney's staff noted that PECO, an Exelon Company, uses forms listing activities that its foremen must complete each day. He decided to change the forms into PennDOT documents, which request information in a standardized format to provide verification that project inspection requirements were being met.

"During this time, the permittees simply had to submit a request that defined their project as an 'essential service' and request permission to commence with virtual inspection as the method to meet their HOP required inspection," Hanney said.

"We wanted photos and some documented specifics as to how they were meeting PennDOT standards," Hanney added.

With virtual inspections, PennDOT staff reviews photos, video and documents to ensure the work meets PennDOT standards even though PennDOT staff is not physically present at the work site. "The new forms provided all the information needed to ensure we were getting the quality we wanted," Hanney said.

Hanney noted that the virtual inspections benefit utilities' customers since if the work does not meet standards, PennDOT has the right to order the work redone.

Another benefit also emerged.

"Something we discovered was that virtual inspections allowed us to expand our ability to cover more projects with limited resources," Hanney said, resulting in faster project completion.

Rick Marker, P.E., district permit engineer in PennDOT's District 12 in southwestern Pennsylvania, said his district also adopted virtual inspections.

"The virtual construction inspection approach fit nicely with PennDOT's electronic permitting system and the fact that PennDOT staff was equipped with laptop computers that eased working remotely", he said.

Hanney was honored for his work on virtual inspections with an award at the 2020 Innovation Awards Ceremony, and PennDOT has now implemented virtual inspections as a statewide process.

• Category: Construction

Close Article

Big Savings Coming Thanks to Virtual Inspections of Stormwater Projects

As part of its ongoing effort to improve stormwater management, PennDOT has embraced a virtual approach to project inspection that will mean big savings.

Daryl St. Clair, special assistant to PennDOT's Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration who is heading the innovation, said drone technology is being deployed to facilitate inspection of stormwater restoration projects. The drones capture photos and video to document that the restoration work is meeting the federal requirement to control water runoff during storms. The effort is intended to prevent pollution from working its way into rivers and critical bodies of water such as the Chesapeake Bay.

The first project was in Manchester Township in York County. The restoration included nearly 2,000 linear feet of stream restoration and several acres of new floodplain wetlands.

A second restoration is under construction, another is in design and two more projects were advertised and bids opened in October 2021.

To meet new environmental standards, PennDOT is committed to roughly $11 million in restoration projects every five years. Instead of using inspectors on site during construction, PennDOT's specification requires the contractor to fly drones over each project so PennDOT officials can have a visual record.

Savings could amount to roughly $60,000 per project, and using drones also helps minimize personal contact at a time when the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic calls for such an approach.

"The contractor will plan to fly additional drone videos in 2021 and/or 2022 to continue to document the ecological success of the completed restoration, to be utilized as an educational tool to inform stakeholders of how successful stream restoration management practices develop over time," St. Clair said.

• Category: Construction

Close Article

District 5 Saves with Efficient Snow Plow Blade Changes

PennDOT's District 5 Office, based in Allentown, has switched to the innovative practice of changing snow plow blades at stockpiles instead of traveling to district garages. Blades are the wearing surface of a snow plow, or the cutting edge that make contact with the road surface.

This innovative practice, which started in Schuylkill County, is translating into fuel and manpower savings of about $8,700 annually per county, based on three blade changes for each PennDOT plow truck. The number of blade changes required each year is dependent on the weather, type of road surface, and other factors.

The innovation saves staff hours by eliminating travel to and from a central location and minimizes the amount of time the large trucks are on the roads with other traffic, improving safety, said Thomas W. Rogal, senior maintenance manager for Schuylkill County.

"The innovation came about as the need arose to be more efficient and timely in changing plow blades," Rogal said. "Doing so increased safety and made the operation more cost effective,"

Minimal upfront costs of about $5,000 were required for the innovation, which was piloted at two remote stockpiles in Schuylkill County. The equipment includes a large air compressor, impact gun and a stand for setting up the plow so the blade can be changed.

With the pilot successfully completed, the practice was expanded to Lehigh, Carbon, Monroe, and Northampton counties, which are all now using this practice to improve safety and productivity.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT's Forest/Warren County Maintenance Fosters Innovation

Saving electricity while keeping winter operations at the ready for quick storm response prompted PennDOT's Warren and Forest counties' maintenance operation to install Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) receptacles with built-in thermostats to power engine block heaters in cold weather.

All of PennDOT's maintenance trucks are equipped with engine block heaters that need to be plugged into electrical outlets so cold weather does not impede quick starting during storms, said Adam Elms, manager for PennDOT's Warren/Forest counties.

"These trucks are plugged in through the rain and snow, which requires electric cords to be exposed to winter elements and lots of moisture," Elms said. "The harsh environment created the potential for damage to the cords, receptacles and the block heaters for the trucks."

For added protection and safety, all PennDOT maintenance facilities are equipped with GFI receptacles, which are fast-acting circuit breakers designed to shut off power when they detect the electrical current is taking an alternate path that presents a shock hazard.

"We took it one step further and put on timer/temperature controls, so power is off when the temperature is above 35 degrees," Elms noted.

This innovative step is expected to generate cost savings from reduced electricity usage and wear and tear on the trucks, as the block heaters are not continuously running.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Innovation Lights the Way for Better Snow Plow Operations

PennDOT's snow plow operators face tough conditions when they take to their routes during the worst that winter throws at us. Often working in the dark on narrow roads, the operators encounter challenging circumstances.

So it was that Paul Brosious, an equipment operator in Northumberland County in PennDOT's District 3, came up with an idea to improve visibility when maneuvering trucks backward. He proposed installing a separate light on the back of plow trucks on the passenger side to allow operators to better see terrain and obstacles. The large light is separate from the truck's built-in back up lights.

"When you are out in the middle of nowhere and you are trying to turn around ... you need to see where you are backing up, especially at midnight or one or two in the morning," Brosious said.

He said he got the idea when he was given a spare truck from another county, and it had a light on the back separate from the light on the salt spinner.

"Especially in the wintertime, it's very important to be able for safety reasons to have a light there to see what you are doing, especially when backing up when most accidents happen," Brosious said.

PennDOT's Fleet Management Division approved a pilot and spreader backup lights were installed on three trucks in Northumberland County and one truck in Tioga County.

"The innovation was well received, and we didn't get any concerns reported," said Jimmy Adams, District 3 equipment manager. "We thank him for his idea that is helping us improve our winter services."

Any county in the PennDOT system can now request to have the lights installed.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT's Bureau of Public Transportation Enhancing Find My Ride Program

More than 6 million trips a year are taken by Pennsylvania residents who rely on shared ride services to reach medical appointments and fulfill other critical needs. To improve the rider experience, PennDOT's Bureau of Public Transportation is working hard on enhancing its Find My Ride service that makes planning and taking those trips much easier.

The Find My Ride program consists of three elements: Find My Ride Schedule, Find My Ride Apply and Find My Ride Education.

Find My Ride Schedule is a "one-click, one-call" resource center developed to make it easier for riders, especially seniors, persons with disabilities and people on Medical Assistance to find information about available transportation options and even schedule shared ride trips using a computer or mobile device.

Find My Ride Schedule allows riders to directly book trips into a one-stop-shop scheduling software, bypassing the need to call the transit provider and talk with a customer service representative. There are 34 urban and rural fixed route transit agencies, many of which also provide community/demand response service, and 18 agencies that provide community/demand response transportation only.

Statewide deployment of Find My Ride Schedule will help ease call volumes for transit agencies and providers, and should provide easy scheduling for riders. Find My Ride Schedule has been launched in 11 counties with plans for statewide deployment beginning in 2022.

Find My Ride Apply is an application that allows people to apply online for transportation assistance programs such as the Senior Shared Ride and Medical Assistance Transportation programs. The application is available throughout most of the state outside of Philadelphia and Allegheny counties; while similar service is not available in those two areas, the Bureau of Public Transportation is exploring ways to offer the service there toward the end of 2022. Applying for transportation assistance programs will enable approved applicants to use Find My Ride's trip planning capabilities.

Find My Ride Education is an upcoming webpage, planned for release in early 2022, that will contain information and videos intended to provide an overview of public transportation options and assistance programs available across the state.

"The new website will serve as a landing page for someone who needs transportation assistance but doesn't know anything about the services and programs available," said John Taylor, planning and technology manager in PennDOT's Bureau of Public Transportation. "Our hope is we can get to the point where we walk a potential rider through the programs and then have them go to the eligibility site to apply, after which they can use Find My Ride Schedule to plan trips," he added.

Beginning in February 2022, the Bureau will open three separate websites in support of each piece of the Find My Ride program: findmyridepa.org for Find My Ride Schedule; apply.findmyride.penndot.pa.gov for Find My Ride Apply; and Find My Ride Education (website coming soon).

"We are committed to leveraging technology to improve critical transit services and to ensure everyone who needs to make a trip can do so with as little hassle as possible," Taylor said.

• Category: Public Transportation

Close Article

Driver and Vehicle Services Takes the DMV Experience to New Levels

When it comes to breaking the mold and destroying that outdated image of long lines and terrible service at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) is once again pushing the boundaries.

Over the past year or so, Driver and Vehicle Services has deployed a mobile ticketing system that puts queue information right into customer's hands without forcing them to crowd into a Driver License Center (DLC).

Building on past queueing systems that informed customers of wait times, DVS now has a system that works through smart phones via text and online links.

"It will allow me, if I choose, to go to the store, hang out in my car, or do whatever I like during the wait time and give me an idea of where I am in the system," said Sarah D. Baker, director of DVS's Bureau of REAL ID, who is managing the innovation.

Customers are notified when it is time to come back and reach the counter to complete their transaction. The system is in place at 55 DLCs statewide as well as the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg.

"The point is to give customers flexibility," Baker said. She added that the innovation was welcome at a time when social distancing became important in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

In addition, by the end of 2021, DVS expected to have a concierge application in place for staff that will allow supervisors to better manage the queues. Working with iPads, staff can check the customer line outside the centers at the start of the day or other busy times and input data on what transactions are needed. That information will allow supervisors to redeploy staff as appropriate to better manage the queues.

The customer reaction?

"Most customers are surprised and say, 'This is neat. Thank you,'" Baker said.

• Category: Driver & Vehicle Services

Close Article