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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Pedestrian Accommodations

ADA Public Notice Statement (PDF)

Non Discrimination Statement:

PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities and has established a grievance procedure to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 28 CFR 35.149 Discrimination prohibited. "Except as otherwise provided in 35.150, no qualified individual with a disability shall, because a public entity's facilities are inaccessible to or unusable by individuals with disabilities, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any public entity."

PennDOT must make the accommodation of persons with disabilities a routine and integral element of its planning, design, construction, and Highway Occupancy Permits. The following is a summary of PennDOT's ADA Policy.

  • New construction must be accessible and usable by persons with disabilities.
  • Alterations to existing facilities, within the scope or limits of a project, must provide usability by persons with disabilities to the maximum extent feasible.
  • Existing facilities that have not been altered must not deny access to persons with disabilities.
  • All alteration type projects such as reconstruction, milling, resurfacing, must assess pedestrian needs and must improve or upgrade altered existing facilities to the latest ADA standards.
  • Where existing site constraints limit the ability to fully meet the latest ADA standards, the improvements or upgrades must be done to provide access to the maximum extent feasible.

ADA Resources

Publication 13M, Design Manual Part 2 (DM-2) (PDF), Highway Design, is available in the "Forms, Pubs & Maps" section of our website. Sections clarifying PennDOT's policy on sidewalks include: 

  • Chapter 6 – Pedestrian Facilities; Chapter 7 – Driveways
  • Chapter 9 – Safety Rest Areas and Welcome Centers

Publication 2 -- Project Office Manual (POM) implements the use of the Curb Ramp Inspection Form (CS-4401) (XLSM). Both are aso available with our other forms and publications.

Accommodation at Signalized Intersections - Publication 149 (PDF), Chapter 4, provides clarification of key issues pertaining to ADA and pedestrian accommodation at signalized intersections.