Use of Innovative Backhoe Folding Forks Creates Efficiency, Reduces Risk of Injury

Safety was clearly in mind when the Clearfield County maintenance team designed and fabricated folding forks to be mounted on a backhoe.

Current Clearfield County Equipment Manager Cody Conklin started as an equipment mechanic with PennDOT about 10 years ago. His varied experience as a heavy equipment mechanic provided Conklin with the background to easily spot an improvement opportunity. Almost immediately upon noticing such an opportunity, he began discussing options with the previous county equipment manager.

Conklin's idea was to install foldable forks on backhoes - something he saw routinely in private industry. The forks can be installed to move items, such as pallets or large sections of pipe, and they can be folded out of the way - depending on what is needed for a particular assignment. This helps crews be more efficient, and it also reduces the risk of injury from lifting and moving heavy objects.

By using the foldable forks, a second piece of equipment, such as a forklift or track hoe, is no longer needed. More importantly, the foldable forks provide a more stable platform and fewer moving parts than using chains connected to the track hoe bucket. This provides the operator better control of the load during lifting operations. It is clear that by using this method, the safety factor is higher and the potential for injury is lower. Productivity is also increased because it takes less time to complete load and unload activities.

The forks are attached to the digging bucket. During use, the forks are flipped down, and they rest against the cutting edge of the bucket. When not being used for loading/unloading, the forks fold back over the top of the bucket and are out of the way while performing digging operations. This makes it easy for county maintenance staff to use the backhoe in the field on a routine basis without installing or removing attachments.

Conklin noted that his next step is to fit the forks with hydraulics. This would allow the operator to deploy the forks and adjust the width of the forks automatically, instead of the current manual system. For some activities, the hydraulics could make operation of the forks a one-person job - eliminating the need for a person on the ground.

District 2 is looking to expand the use of folding forks to its other counties that have backhoes in their equipment inventory.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT Expedites Tax Reimbursement Program Processing Vital to Airports

Aviation plays a significant role in Pennsylvania's economy, and PennDOT's e-Grant program is helping to support the 121 public use and 230 private-use airports and related facilities.

Paul Bendigo, trustee to his family's privately-owned public-use Bendigo Airport in Tower City, Dauphin County, appreciates that support.

In 2022, PennDOT's Bureau of Aviation improved their process by transitioning its Real Estate Tax Reimbursement Program for public-use airports from being paper-based to the online e-Grants program.

"It did run a lot more smoothly this past year," Bendigo noted.

As one player in an industry that contributes nearly $24 billion to the state's economy, Bendigo's airport is home to roughly 20 privately-owned aircraft. When his family invested in a new runway and taxiway in 1999, Dauphin County assessed the improvement as a structure and assessed the pavement of the runway and taxiway at nearly $200,000 in addition to the land assessment of approximately $150,000. In 2022, the airport paid nearly $9,000 in real estate taxes and received roughly $6,200 from the Tax Reimbursement Program.

"Without the reimbursement program, it would be hard for us to stay open, because that's the only thing that can give us a level playing field with publicly-owned airports that don't have to pay any real estate taxes," Bendigo said.

Bendigo added that the privately-owned public airport business "is very challenging ... with the cost of fuel and the cost of maintaining airplanes, it's not what it was when my father opened the airport to the public in 1963. "We've been providing this public service for this whole time," Bendigo said. "The Real Estate Tax Reimbursement Program helps us out tremendously."

Before the transition to e-Grants, Justin Palmer, Aviation Specialist supervisor in PennDOT's Bureau of Aviation said, "airports mailed or emailed in tax documents, the Office of Administration (OA) verified the documents, the Bureau of Aviation determined eligibility areas, and OA processed the request."

With the transition to the new online process, the sponsor creates a Keystone log in account on e-Grants, signs a one-time agreement, creates a new application, uploads the tax information, and signs and submits the documents electronically.

"The application process is greatly improved, and the turnaround time is less than 28 days," Palmer added.

The funds used for the program come from a portion of the Aviation Restricted Account, which is supported by aviation fuel sales taxes. Palmer added that roughly 20 public airports apply for the program each year.

"Obviously, there is the benefit to the airport owner," he noted. "The reduction of their overall tax bill. It's an appreciation or a gesture of good will that we try to extend to these airports. We are doing everything we can to help them survive. Owning a public airport is not a lucrative business. It's a very difficult industry. It's a little way of helping the smaller airport owners in a very small way."

• Category: Multimodal

Close Article

PennDOT Takes Critical Wall Monitoring Forward with LiDAR Scanning Solution

PennDOT's Materials and Testing Laboratory has embraced an enhanced technology to make it more efficient to manage a critical safety program.

The lab has deployed its first next generation LiDAR Technology scanner to streamline its responsibility to monitor Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Walls (MSE).

During their evaluation period, about 20 percent of the more than 175 assigned MSE walls have been scanned, and the entirety of the campaign is on track to be completed by April 2023.

With the help of an investment from PennDOT's Productivity Improvement Fund (PIF), the lab procured a Trimble X7 Terrestrial Scanner, a lightweight three-dimensional (3D) laser scanner that provides faster scans for surveyors and a higher level of detail on structures and terrain features that provide PennDOT engineers and designers with improved data through Reality Capture.

"It gets a cloud of three-dimensional points," said Michael Loose, Photogrammetry manager in PennDOT's Bureau of Construction and Materials. "This instrument is capable of capturing a million points per second, and when you get all of those points back, you essentially get a 3D model of the area. It's like you have a map."

This innovation will reduce field time on the worksite, create a much more efficient office processing task, and allow quick accurate analysis to identify failures, or problem areas in the MSE walls. Customer service will vastly improve with the faster turnaround time and ability to share results utilizing web viewer technology.

The lightweight equipment and automatic calibration with self-leveling, as well as automatic registration, have significantly reduced time spent in the field. Because the scan data has been registered in the field, it has also reduced processing time in the office.

Additionally, this equipment has been very successful in the field by allowing the field technician to safely traverse the project sites due to the lightweight nature of the unit itself and a lightweight carbon fiber tripod.

Collected data is saved, registered, refined, and exported in the field in a matter of minutes allowing immediate analysis in the office, which saves days of work when compared to other equipment.

Cost savings of field and office hours for a four-month period is roughly $26,000 due to the increased field efficiencies and office compatibility as well as the ease of use.

"It (the innovation) came about because we saw the need to improve our workflows, which began with the equipment we were using to capture the field data," Loose said. "MSE walls in the state are a very big task. Seven or eight years ago, it was mandated that all of these MSE walls would be monitored on a regular basis. So, we were tasked with that, and with the technology that we had, we were able to do it, but it was a slow and more difficult process.

Loose added that PennDOT's Trimble equipment vendor suggested that the X7 would be a good solution.

"So, we did the testing with it and found, yes, it is a better technology for monitoring these MSE walls," he said.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

Warren County Creates Materials Chute for Safer and More Efficient Winter Operations

Teamwork can take a good idea and make it great. Warren County's maintenance team is proof of that concept.

When fellow Warren County maintenance employees suggested the creation of a spreader chute for winter operations, Welder David Schwartz and Transportation Equipment Operator B Dan Benson made it happen.

In the past, when placing materials to repair roadway shoulders during the winter months, an additional piece of equipment or effort was needed due to the truck's salt spreader being in the way. If this work was being completed during mild winter days, it meant removing the winter material spreaders from the dump truck and then reattaching them when inclement weather was forecasted.

To eliminate or decrease some of that work, Benson fashioned a prototype chute from PVC pipe. The goal was to find a way to cover and bypass the spreader while also efficiently placing the material along the shoulder. When the crew saw the prototype in person, they were convinced of its merits.

From there, Warren County's crew went to Schwartz with the idea and a few requested upgrades. He used his welding skills to fashion four metal spreader chutes used during the winter season.

The aluminum device attaches to the spreader and can be used to fill low shoulders along the roadway without having to remove the spreader. The chute directs material to the shoulders to fill low spots while keeping the equipment and truck on the main road. Along with making shoulder repairs easier and more efficient, using the chute also created safer work conditions for the operator and laborers.

After the success of the first chute, eight additional devices were fabricated for use in in Warren and Forest counties. The total material cost of building all the items was about $300, which is significantly less than the approximate $750 each it would have cost to purchase them already made.

County leadership also developed safety guidelines for installing, using, and removing the chute, and provided employees with pictures showing the item correctly installed.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Alert System Aims to Reduce Crashes, Keep First Responders Safe

As the only district with a tunnel maintenance organization, PennDOT Engineering District 11, based in the Pittsburgh region, is home to the Fort Pitt, Squirrel Hill, Liberty and Stowe tunnels.

These tunnels are crucial for moving traffic in and out of the city each day, and any time an incident occurs inside or even near the tunnels, it has a significant impact on traffic and can sometimes make responding to these incidents difficult and unsafe for tunnel maintenance crews and other first responders.

With tunnel crews responding to an average of 2,600 incidents each year, some of which include major crashes, animals on the loose and vehicles running out of gas, they are responsible for operating two trucks to clear lanes and crash trucks to protect incident scenes and assist first responders.

To aid in these efforts and improve safety, the district is now leveraging a crash-prevention technology that connects emergency lights and sirens with navigation apps. The HAAS Alert Safety Cloud is a Responder-to-Vehicle system that alerts motorists using the Waze app of first responders at incidents when emergency lights are activated. Since 2021, all vehicles used to respond to incidents in the tunnels have been outfitted with the HAAS Safety Cloud equipment.

In specific conditions, when the vehicle operator activates the emergency lights, the alert is displayed on the Waze app. HAAS can identify when a vehicle is in motion or not, recognizing whether the vehicle is actively traveling to an incident or already responding. A built-in notification delay has also been implemented, to prevent short-term alerts for instances such as testing and pulling out of a tunnel plaza.

Although the device does not share identifiable information about the vehicle on the app, managers have access to the Safety Cloud website that will allow them to see the vehicle location, speed, emergency light status, and statistics about the motorists notified. This is the same information available with the current Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system currently installed in PennDOT trucks.

The received notifications through the Waze app, which alert motorists to slow down and move over from an incident, allow PennDOT tunnel maintenance crews staff and first responders more rapid access on scene and improve safety overall.

Since implementation of the HAAS Alert Safety Cloud, nearly 52,000 notifications have been sent to drivers to help protect tunnel maintenance crews and first responders. The newly-implemented solution aims to reduce crashes involving tunnel and other emergency response vehicles during incidents.

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Article

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

• Category: Planning & Research

Close Subarticle

Crawford County Repurposes Fleet Parts for Truck Repairs

Sometimes complex problems have simple solutions.

That's the mindset taken by Crawford County Highway Equipment Manager Matthew Semian and his team to repair a crew cab truck that was severely damaged in a crash in October 2021.

With his staff busy prepping for the upcoming winter, the original plan was to send the five-year-old truck out for repair, but they were quickly faced with another dilemma - an $18,000 minimum estimate for the work and parts from a vendor. This was roughly equal to the value of the damaged vehicle itself.

Additionally, Semian knew replacing vehicles, whether new or used, is not always timely. There was an urgency to find a quick solution to get the truck back on the road as soon as possible.

Semian and his team thought there was a better option and found that the solution already existed within the state's fleet.

"We immediately reached out statewide for a donor vehicle that was heading out to auction, and we found another crew cab in Snyder County that had mechanical issues," Semian said. "We needed the body parts, and they were in decent shape."

Once the county maintenance crew was able to secure the donor vehicle, they went straight to work salvaging body parts to get the damaged truck back on the road within two days. They were also able to collect additional mechanical parts for possible future fleet repairs. This solution resulted in no expenses to the county to purchase the parts, and the only cost incurred by PennDOT was for 14 hours of labor, which was approximately $398.

"I knew my staff could do it," Semian said. "For us, it all went very smoothly. We've got a pretty good group with talented mechanics who grew up around this kind of work."

Semian attributes the idea to an ongoing mindset of borrowing parts from other vehicles in the Crawford County fleet to keep costs down and prioritize projects. For example, Semian said they will often take parts from out-of-commission trucks that are long-term repair projects to keep another truck active for his crews.

"We have to get creative sometimes," Semian said. "It's a blessing for me here. They take pride in that, and that's what I want to promote more than anything."

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Repurposed Flatbed Train Cars Now An Option for Local Bridge Replacements

The idea to repurpose flatbed train cars as small bridges was inspired by Sam Moehler's hometown, a hobby, and a little research.

Since Moehler, a civil engineer in PennDOT's Engineering District 1, grew up in Pennsylvania, he is well aware of the number of closed bridges in small communities, some of which are closed for years on end. As a native of Johnstown, Pa., Moehler is also aware of the hauling capacity of railway cars and their ability to handle very heavy loads.

"Most rail cars are capable of holding significantly more weight than a small, posted bridge is able to," he noted.

Moehler is a lifelong fan of trains, railroads, and model trains. Because of this, he often receives targeted advertisements online boasting about the opportunity to purchase retired railroad equipment.

One day Moehler saw an advertisement promoting used railroad flat cars with photos of them used as bridges. The photos included in the advertisement showed a large excavator sitting in the center of one of the repurposed cars to demonstrate the strength of the cars when reused as bridges.

Having some knowledge of railroads from his hobbies and experience with local bridge project costs, Moehler immediately thought about using rail cars in projects on low average daily traffic local roadways and rural routes. Along with offering a lower-cost solution for local governments, the idea also provides a way to recycle unused rail cars and reopen local bridges that otherwise might remain closed or even removed.

"It might be a lot cheaper for them and not all locals can fund a bridge replacement project easily," Moehler said.

He spoke to his manager, Mark Andreas, who encouraged him to submit the idea through IdeaLink, PennDOT's online employee engagement system. To strengthen the suggestion, Moehler conducted research online and found a 150-page report by Iowa's Department of Transportation (DOT) along with a quick reference card to submit along with his idea.

Moehler said he was thrilled to find out that as a result of his idea the "Use and Design Guidelines for Railroad Bridge Superstructure" section of PennDOT's PennDOT's PUB 447 (PDF), "Approved Products for Lower Volume Local Roads," was updated to allow for use of out-of-service railroad flat cars as temporary bridges or permanent bridges with a weight limitation on low traffic volume roads and/or local routes.

Moehler said that this now gives municipalities another possible solution when looking for alternatives to more costly traditional bridge replacements.

• Category: Design

Close Article

Using Paint Lines to Measure Salt and Material Volume Saves Time, Money

Being prepared for winter storms as well as being a good steward of taxpayer dollars is something PennDOT always keeps in mind. Tracking stocked material can have a direct impact on both of these goals, so when the Elk County maintenance team began painting reference marks on the walls of salt sheds to quickly determine material inventory levels, there were numerous benefits.

Starting in winter 2021-22, Elk County Highway Maintenance Coordinator Mike Rogato added material labels and quantity labels at the storage shed in St. Marys, Pa. His approach was to make easy-to-read labels, noting quantity as well as material type.

The markings have helped to improve proper stacking of salt, as well as providing a clear display showing inventory levels. Quickly determining accurate inventory measurements when performing bi-weekly inventory of the stockpiles ensures data integrity and makes it easier to match with levels in PennDOT's inventory tracking system.

The straightforward markings are easily understood and use of this visual reference helps employees better estimate how much material is left in the bins during winter operations. The improvement in stacking the salt saves time and labor since it lessens the guess work on the height and depth of the material. This also makes timely material reordering more accurate, helping the county avoid ordering excess material, which can lead to monetary savings.

The labels went on the walls prior to material being delivered. This allowed Rogato to verify his estimates. He also noted that the labels can be easily changed, and he's seen the direct impacts such a simple idea can have. Field personnel can quickly see when quantities are getting low and take the appropriate steps to ensure they don't run out, and office staff can more easily reconcile inventory and order material in the correct quantities at optimal times.

While markings are used informally in many locations across PennDOT, District 2 believes this is the first formal use of such a process and plans to use it at all five Elk County stockpiles. District 2 is planning to implement this innovation districtwide to cover all its nine counties.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

---

Pursuing New Products to Better Serve Traveling Public

Reflecting its commitment to continually look for better ways to provide services at the lowest cost, PennDOT moved closer to delivering improved processes for waterproofing bridges and other critical structures and repairing pipes beneath roadways in 2022.

Mike Reeder, P.E., acting construction services engineer in PennDOT's Harrisburg-based District 8, assumed the lead this year for implementing spray on membrane waterproofing for bridges. With Reeder leading the way, this innovation is being championed by the State Transportation Innovation Council's (STIC) Construction and Materials Technical Advisory Group (TAG).

"It's a good product," Reeder said. "It is designed to be an alternate to the current preformed waterproofing, mainly used for waterproofing bridge abutments, but it also can be used on bridge decks that are getting paved over."

The current process relies more on sheets of material glued to the structure. The new process delivers a coating that "is very tough," Reeder said. Citing several advantages, Reeder said the process allows for an application that is continuous to ensure there are no seams or joints. The process also allows odd-shaped areas, such as construction joints on step footings, to be waterproofed.

Reeder will be working with PennDOT's Materials Testing Lab to get final approval for this new process in Bulletin 15 (PDF), the agency's Qualified Products List for Construction. He also will be working to fine-tune the product's application process to ensure the waterproofing material is applied as uniformly as possible. Allowing too much build up in certain spots could lead to issues down the road, Reeder said.

PennDOT's District 3 based in Lycoming County has been piloting the new process since 2011, and District 2 based in Clearfield has been piloting it since 2014 under special provision. District 3 wrote the first special provision for the spray waterproofing in 2016, and both districts have been using the special provision since then. There are currently membranes from three different manufacturers listed in the special provision.

Shawn E. Mcfarland, P.E., structure control engineer and acting assistant construction engineer in District 2, explained the process.

Application starts by cleaning the concrete surfaces, either by sandblasting or shotblasting. A primer is applied by spraying, brushes, rollers, squeegees, etc., and allowed to cure before the spray waterproofing is applied. The waterproofing itself is a two-component system that is applied with a spray gun. Gel times for the membrane are generally less than 10 seconds, and the membranes fully cure and are ready for backfill or light traffic within hours. A typical application of the spray membrane is just under 1/8-inch thick.

"The real benefit in my mind is that it forms to the surface of the concrete and irregular surfaces in joints or corners," Mcfarland said. "We get a continuous seamless application of material."

Matthew Briggs, chief of the New Products and Innovations Section in PennDOT's Bureau of Construction and Materials, leads PennDOT's new product initiatives.

"We are pretty close to putting it on a clearance transmittal," he said of the new waterproofing process. "It's that close to the finish line. Once the clearance transmittal is done, we can hit the go button."

Another innovation approaching the final stage of the approval process is a trenchless repair technique for deteriorated stormwater pipes under roadways.

"We are pretty much at the final stage of the approval process," Briggs said.

The Federal Highway Administration gave its approval recently, and Briggs hopes to have the needed additional approvals by spring 2023. Since it has impacts to waterways, Department of Environmental Protection sign off is needed as well.

The new technique features inserting roughly an inch of new material inside the pipes to repair cracks, which creates a new inside. This shrinks the inside diameter of the pipe a little bit because there is going to be a thin layer of material.

The benefits?

"Now you don't have to dig up the roadway, and repairs can be done offline." Briggs said. "While you may have a shoulder closure, you are still eliminating the need to tear up the roadway and dig down and replace the pipe. You look at it more like a cast. You have a longer shelf life for that pipe. It's just not a band-aid to patch it; you're creating a new liner for it."

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

Visibility Improved, Safety Enhanced Through PennDOT-Fabricated Snowplow Improvements

When it comes to plowing snow, two key concerns rise to the top of the list - keeping operators and roadway users safe during plowing, and efficiently plowing and moving through route cycles as quickly as weather and road conditions safely allow.

The Clinton County maintenance team came up with an innovative way to address both concerns. By chance a few years ago, a new hydraulic plow was delivered to the county. The operators all seemed to prefer this plow, but no one could articulate what was different about it. To figure out this mystery, staff started taking video of plowing operations to determine how they could mimic the success of the favored plow and improve plowing operations.

Through the videos and personal travels where operators saw similar plows in use in the Midwest, county maintenance staff determined that the lead point of the plow must hang further over the cutting edge than traditional plows.

To replicate this, the Clinton County maintenance team in PennDOT's Engineering District 2 refabricated an existing plow by cutting the back supports and adding more curvature to the barrel. This prevented snow from rising over the top of the plow barrel and building up on the truck's windshield. Making this change has greatly improved visibility and elevated the safety factor. It also allows the operator to travel at normal speeds dependent on weather conditions, which keeps plowing cycle times on track and ensures consistent service.

Getting to the current plowing capabilities in Clinton County proved challenging, however. Since most manufacturers were unable to grasp the concept of what Clinton County was requesting, it fell to the maintenance staff to fulfill the vision. Clinton County Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager Adam Bechdel worked with Bruce Muthler, a maintenance repairmen and skilled welder, to develop a solution. Bechdel knew that Muthler's background working at Williamsport High Steel would be invaluable in their efforts, as he is known for his exceptional cutting and fabrication work that's in demand by equipment operators throughout the county.

Through trial and error, Muthler worked on old snowplows to create a prototype. He had to make several cuts and folds, as well as place strategic wedges to obtain the plow shape that works best. The retrofitted plows have a smaller curve height.

Clinton County is currently using 10 retrofitted plows. There are four newer ones, between one- and four-years-old, that Muthler had to modify, and six older plows that were previously modified.

The Clinton County maintenance team is very proud of this innovation and will quickly tell you that bringing it to fruition was a group effort, with many individuals contributing to its success. The end result provides better service during plow events without sacrificing safety.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

Improving Safety with Crew Cab Back-Up Cameras

Employee safety is always a major concern for PennDOT. Whether in a work zone, at a stockpile, or out on the road, PennDOT strives to improve safety whenever and wherever possible.

Jefferson County, located in PennDOT's Engineering District 10, identified an opportunity to improve safety by adding back-up cameras on older crew cabs, since these vehicles were not equipped with such modern safety devices. Using a design originally developed by and installed on multiple trucks in Clinton County, located in PennDOT's Engineering District 2, the Jefferson County maintenance team made brackets and boxes containing the back-up cameras and mounted them to each of the county's older crew cabs.

"Trucks have blind spots where the rearview mirrors can't see," said Jefferson County Manager Aaron Emhoff. "Back-up cameras add a layer of protection that gives a better view of the surroundings."

The cost for the project was $400, including the camera and materials for the box and brackets. The brackets and the housing for the cameras were made by the Jefferson County maintenance team. Since installing the cameras, the county has not had any back-up accidents with those trucks. The county is hopeful that this positive safety trend will continue.

"Safety is always a priority," Emhoff said. "There are a lot of moving pieces, equipment and people, that we must take care of every day. Adding these cameras to the back of our crew cabs has increased safety when the trucks are backing up."

Going forward, the cameras will be installed when new trucks are brought into the fleet. For now, the county-installed back-up cameras to increase the visibility behind the vehicles, reducing the chance for accidents and making it safer for team members.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT Joins Maryland and Other States for Enhanced Video Sharing

PennDOT's efforts to keep people moving with as few disruptions as possible continues to evolve with ever-changing technology, as evidenced by the new MView Video Sharing initiative.

This program features a groundbreaking video sharing agreement with the Maryland Department of Transportation to engage its pioneering system.

"It is a web-based video sharing platform that allows our traffic cameras to be shared outside of the commonwealth network with public agency incident management partners," said Ryan McNary, chief, Traffic Operations and Traffic Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Performance in PennDOT's Bureau of Operations.

The system is intended for first responders and public safety personnel to be able to see real-time images in order to facilitate their life-saving mission. PennDOT's 1,000 traffic cameras are now part of a multi-state system of more than 15,000 cameras that allow more than 200 participating agencies to have better situational awareness when incidents occur.

Partners so far include Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, the National Park Service, the Maryland Stadium Authority, Maryland State Police, the city of Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University and Health Services. Each user is allowed to see only video that they have been authorized to view.

"It offers a virtual application where you can monitor certain areas within your jurisdiction that you are most concerned with," McNary said. "Now, that could be weather-related, like plowing, for incidents, or for enforcement."

He added that 911 centers have been asking for this for a long time.

"We have incidents all around the state and it happens all day long," he said. "A picture is worth a thousand words. It can show these emergency responders the scene and we can move cameras and tell the 911 center, 'Here, this is what you need to see,' and then they can deploy resources more effectively."

McNary said that it helps improve the level of communication if responders can see incident scenes, and what they might be getting into before they get out there or as they are dispatching people.

The system has been live since fall 2021, and PennDOT is continually growing the number of partners with access across Pennsylvania.

"We continue to build out the people who have access," McNary said. "We are still in the growing phase. We just hit one year since going live. We are over to 1,000 users across the system for our agencies. We are trying to work out relationships with major municipalities and cities to get their cameras brought into the system next year."

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

---

Bridge Design, Environmental Mitigation, Resiliency Innovations Advanced

The State Transportation Innovation Council's (STIC) Design Technical Advisory Group (TAG) took steps to move several innovations forward in 2022.

Among the list of innovations being developed for implementation is the Slotted Median Barrier. First developed by Texas A&M University, the Slotted Median Barrier is designed with a large hydraulic opening on the bottom of the barrier, which is particularly useful for flood prone areas. These barriers help to reduce hazards such as vehicle snagging, glare shielding and passage of animals.

Additionally, the Slotted Median Barrier can be used for paving projects where drainage and access are needed in the middle of the roadway. The team developing this innovation focused much of its 2022 efforts on preparing the innovation for inclusion in the Roadway Construction (RC) Standards and investigating the anchor performance in soils in Texas versus Pennsylvania.

The Environmental Monitor Role for Large Construction Projects, another innovation being pursued by the Design TAG, will require an expert to be onsite and manage the implementation of environmental mitigation elements on large construction projects.

The goal of the innovation is to include an expert for concerns related to wetlands, streams, wildlife habitats and cultural resources on construction projects. The expert will coordinate with contractors and PennDOT staff on all environmental and permitting matters to help ensure protection of sensitive environmental resources.

The team developing the innovation spent much of its 2022 efforts conducting research and meeting with other state DOTs to discuss potential uses of the environmental monitor on projects, such as erosion and sediment control compliance and on bridges with environmental restrictions. The team also solicited feedback on the pros and cons of using this innovation on projects to determine next steps for use in Pennsylvania.

One of the innovations that made major strides towards implementation in 2022 is the Standardizing Concrete Color on Bridges innovation, which focuses on developing standard item numbers and a standard specification for concrete colors on PennDOT bridges. Implementation of this innovation will provide a more consistent look across Pennsylvania as well as to reduce prolonged "review loops," when manufacturers have trouble matching color or finding the correct shade of color for a certain bridge.

A standard list of coating colors will be provided from which designers can choose in cases where other commitments do not require a specific color. These are typically used on structures, such as retaining walls, abutments and sound walls.

"The purpose is threefold: provide a consistent bridge palette for Pennsylvania, simplify decision making for designers and reduce the effort of both suppliers and our lab in ensuring compliance with specifications," said Jeremy Hughes, district bridge engineer in PennDOT's District 12, in the southwestern region of the state. "We currently have a short list of about 30 colors, which we expect to narrow to a final list of around 10." The final color guidance will likely be housed in PennDOT Publication 408.

• Category: Design

Close Article

District 12 Improves Accident Notification Communication

When the unfortunate event occurs of an employee being injured on the job or being involved in an accident, immediate communication is needed to notify the appropriate staff.

In the past, a hard copy of PennDOT's Accident Notification Form (ANF) would need completed and sent to key personnel, which could take up to two to three days for all the necessary notifications to be completed. To improve the line of communication after an accident occurs, PennDOT Engineering District 12, based in the southwestern corner of the states, implemented the use of Microsoft Forms.

The ANF Microsoft Form was created by District 12 Safety Coordinator Denny Myers and Information Technology Generalist Bill Cowger to quickly share time-sensitive information via to the appropriate individuals regarding any accident and/or injury within the district. It was created with the goal of having the foreman, supervisor, or manager complete the form once they arrive on the site of an accident.

The reporting tool gives a snapshot of the severity of the accident and provides time sensitive information. Once submitted, a high priority email is sent to key personnel within the district and the PennDOT's Safety Division.

"The new process has expedited the notifications to key personnel for the Accident Notification Form, which can now be completed within approximately two to three minutes," Myers said.

The "live" link to the form was placed on all iOS user devices within the district and displays on the home screen in the same way as an app. A user can access the form by tapping on the icon, which then accesses Microsoft Forms through the user's web browser. The user then completes all mandatory fields and additional drop-down menus necessary. Once this is completed, the user clicks on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form, which triggers the email notification.

The innovation was shared with PennDOT's Safety Division for consideration of expanded use across PennDOT.

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

---

Pavement Solutions Help Improve Performance, Lessen Traffic Impacts

Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions (TOPS) build on conventional overlay methods and include new overlay materials and techniques. TOPS, a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) innovation that Pennsylvania is championing, offers 13 options to help ensure safe, longer-lasting roadways.

Of the 13 options available, PennDOT has piloted Highly Modified Asphalt and Bonded Concrete on Asphalt, and has already adopted the use of Unbonded Concrete Overlay on Concrete, High-Performance Thin Overlay, Stone Matrix Asphalt, Asphalt Rubber GapGraded, and Ultra-Thin Bonded Wearing Course.

These solutions are more durable and cost-effective than traditional overlay methods and extend the lifespan of a roadway in a relatively short timeframe. This reduces the need for long-term lane closures and continuous roadway reconstruction projects.

TOPS is already being used on many projects throughout Pennsylvania. In District 6, in the southeastern region of the state, Highly Modified Asphalt was used during the paving of a high traffic area on Interstate 95. In District 1, in the northwestern corner of the state, Highly Modified Asphalt was used as part of a larger pilot project on approximately one mile of Interstate 79.

Asphalt Rubber Gap-Graded was tested along sections of four different roadways: State Route (SR) 15 in Adams County, District 8, I-78 in Berks County, District 5, I-376 in Lawrence County, District 11, and SR 15 in Snyder County, District 3.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

District 11 Piloting Technology to Monitor Salt Levels

PennDOT Engineering District 11, based in the Pittsburgh region, is piloting an innovative way to monitor salt levels in one of their Allegheny County salt storage buildings.

The district received PennDOT Productivity Improvement Funding to pilot the installation of salt building inventory cameras to remotely measure and monitor how much salt is in its salt storage building in Bridgeville.

Stockpile Reports is the company that is responsible for the cameras and monitoring. The technology utilizes two pairs of cameras - four cameras total - mounted from the ceiling of the salt building that can be programmed to take photos of the salt pile at different intervals.

The cameras can be programmed to take a photo once a day, or during peak salt usage and delivery times during the winter months, the cameras can be programmed remotely to capture images every hour. The photos are then analyzed by software to calculate the volume of the material inside of the building. This is then converted into a tonnage automatically and documented in the system.

Reports can be exported from the Stockpile Reports system at any given time to see how the inventory levels changed throughout the day or week. This helps the county roadway programs coordinator track the salt usage at that location as well as confirm deliveries of salt. This saves the roadway programs coordinator several hours from having to drive out to the location to get a visual on the building, then estimating how much material is on hand. They are also able to ensure that they can order additional material to replenish the salt pile before salt levels get too low.

One additional benefit of the system is that it allows the county manager and assistant highway maintenance manager to review salt usage throughout the day, which helps them educate equipment operators on the amount of material they are using during the storm. This will hopefully help reduce salt usage since the reports are in real time, and discussions can take place immediately after the storm.

The cameras were installed in-house by the District 11's tunnel maintenance electricians. The system was implemented in 2021 and is being used again this winter to evaluate if additional installations are warranted at other locations across the district.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

PennDOT Expands Online Services for Persons with Disabilities

PennDOT continues its focus on providing innovative and inclusive services to meet the needs of its customers. As a result of these efforts, customers who have a Person with Disabilities parking placard now have the option of completing various services online from the comfort of their own homes.

These new online services enhance convenience for customers needing certain Person with Disability placard transactions. The initiative, part of PennDOT's efforts to modernize operations and transform the customer experience, now allows Pennsylvanians with a Person with Disabilities parking placard to renew their permanent placards, change their address on a permanent or temporary placard, and replace their lost, stolen or destroyed permanent or temporary placard ID and permanent placard all online through PennDOT's Placard Services portal.

With more than 900,000 permanent placards issued across Pennsylvania, these new online services reduce processing times for customers by eliminating the mail-in process and subsequent processing of paperwork. Since the new services were implemented in June 2022, nearly 15,500 transactions have been completed online.

While online renewals are now an option, Permanent Placard holders will still continue to receive a renewal notice approximately 60 days prior to their expiration by mail and retain the option to renew by mail if so desired. More information is available on the Person with Disabilities Information page on PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services website.

In addition to placard services, customers may obtain a variety of other online driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications, and driver training manuals, through the website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some of these services include driver's license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

• Category: Driver & Vehicle Services

Close Article

PennDOT Pilots Big Safety Tool to Protect Its Workers

Safety is PennDOT's primary focus. The agency is always looking at new and innovative ways to make Pennsylvania's roads and bridges safer for the traveling public as well as keep its road crews better protected while performing a variety of maintenance and traffic incident management duties.

When PennDOT's Fleet Management Division, based in Harrisburg, asked PennDOT Engineering District 6, located in southeastern Pennsylvania, to pilot a new 110-foot-long mobile barrier truck, Philadelphia County's Maintenance Manager Dan Graham stepped up and embraced the opportunity.

"Let's give it a try," Graham said. "I'm all for anything to make our crews safer."

The initial plan was to deploy the mobile barrier when crews were working along shoulder areas removing litter and debris and clearing storm drains, but on its first day of use, the barrier was deployed to an emergency incident.

An asphalt truck had overturned and spilled on the southbound lane of Interstate 95 at the Philadelphia International Airport interchange. The crew was able to utilize the new mobile barrier to quickly close seven lanes, which included transition lanes and the shoulder, to prevent vehicles from accessing the roadway so the crash and spill could be cleared.

"The barrier allowed us to close down the lanes, where in the past it would have taken us about six to seven trucks to do the same," Graham said. "That incident allowed us to see that the best use of the device is during an emergency incident. It worked well to divert traffic."

The mobile device has a barrier on the one end that faces traffic and built-in work shelves on the other side for crews. Graham said the barrier made the roadway safer for crews when used to divert traffic away from the emergency. He also noted that because of the barrier's massive size, counties will need to plan accordingly before deploying tactically.

"My thoughts for our district are to use it for emergency situations, and we can also easily move it to other counties within our district when major incidents occur on interstates," Graham said.

Graham shared that the City of Philadelphia had asked if PennDOT could use the new tool to help close ramps to Interstate 676 if the Phillies had won the World Series. Graham also thinks the mobile barrier would have played a role during the historic flooding on I-676 caused by Hurricane Ida in September 2021.

The 110-foot-long barrier, which has the potential to be 130-foot-long with a 20-foot connector, does allow for more protection of crews, as opposed to using just cones and trucks. Crews deal with aggressive and distracted drivers every day, so Graham said he was happy to pilot the barrier.

"We are going to do anything we can to make things safer for our crews," Graham said. "We don't know if something helps unless we try it."

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

---

PennDOT's Use of Drones Continues to Evolve

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones, are being used in several states to solve a myriad of issues and have proven to be a useful and necessary tool in the PennDOT toolbox.

PennDOT's venture into UAS really took off when it decided to champion the innovation as part of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 5.

From its start in 2018, PennDOT's UAS program has explored a variety of uses for these units. Since then, drones have been deployed for such activities as structural, construction and stormwater mitigation inspections, surveys, traffic analysis, incident management and disaster response.

To position Pennsylvania as a place to safely test and deploy UAS technology, a public-private UAS Task Force was created in 2018 and charged with developing a multi-year strategic plan to establish a framework for identifying, integrating and managing UAS technologies.

FHWA's STIC Incentive Program funding helped the task force to develop the strategic plan along with manuals and a robust training program to ensure PennDOT staff and approach to UAS meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety regulations.

To date, PennDOT has more than 25 licensed UAS pilots and more than 20 UAS units. PennDOT has also trained and certified approximately 80 third party UAS pilots to fly missions for PennDOT.

PennDOT is primarily focused on the use of drones in surveys, construction progress, bridge and structure inspections and incident management. A preliminary inspection with a drone, for example, can show inspectors which areas of a bridge should be more closely examined, which can save a tremendous amount of time, and can equate to lower cost and reduced impacts on the traveling public.

Pilot projects have allowed for further evolution of UAS program at PennDOT. In District 11, for example, PennDOT and its consultants have used UAS equipment in a variety of ways, including conducting monthly flights to monitor the progress of the I-579 Cap Urban Connector Project, which was the recipient of the 2022 America's Transportation Awards national Grand Prize. The park project, which reconnected a community divided by an interstate several decades ago, consists of a new "cap" park structure spanning over a portion of I-579.

As part of the Kenmawr Bridge Replacement Project in Allegheny County, UAS flights were typically conducted monthly or as needed for critical work items. Using the "Reconstruct" software, a PennDOT consultant used the output from the flights to generate a 3D model, which was then tied to the project schedule to monitor progress. The "Reconstruct" software was also used to monitor progress on the construction of a roundabout McLaughlin Run Road in Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County.

District 11 is currently piloting use of the "Datumate" software on the Freedom Road roundabout project in Beaver County. The software can be used to measure the cut and fill areas, distances within the project, trim cross sections and note safety as well. It can be used for clash detection, to calculate earthmoving volumes and cross section design. The software helps to track progress to see if a portion of the projects is on track, close to being behind or late.

District 11 has also used drones to aid in incident management and disaster response. When a teetering boulder closed the Glassport-Elizabeth Road near Elizabeth, Allegheny County, the decision was made to blast the boulder off of the rocky slope above the roadway. PennDOT recorded the blast of the boulder using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 drone, which eliminated the risk to department personnel and helped monitor the status of the railroad further below for possible debris.

Other PennDOT districts a ramping up their UAS efforts as well. District 6, based in southeastern Pennsylvania, is building a robust UAS program using drones for supplemental and progressive construction inspection flights, pre-construction imagery for design activities, high mast inspections, and storm damage surveys. The district is also flying drone for rock slide evaluation along I-476 and has recently testing live streaming of drone flights in Microsoft Teams.

District 1, based in the northwestern corner of the state, is conducting drone missions involving construction project documentation, bridge deck examination, bridge beam inspection, office building photography and GIS mapping. District 1 pilots are gaining experience by performing advanced missions, such as maneuvering near structures and bridges and in low-light and high wind conditions. The pilot team is working actively with other staff in the district to explore possible use cases in construction, design and maintenance activities. The pilots have also developed procedures to respond to traffic incidents or mission requests occurring outside of normal working hours, on weekends or during dark hours where UAS operations may be beneficial.

PennDOT's next steps to further evolve the program include additional outreach, review of software being piloted, addressing UAS data storage challenges, expansion of PennDOT's drone fleet, and publication updates.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

---

STIC Incentive Program Helps Innovations Advance in Pennsylvania

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) STIC Incentive Program continues to help Pennsylvania advance innovations making it easier for PennDOT to deliver more timely and efficient transportation services to the traveling public.

With up to $100,000 per year from FHWA, the STIC Incentive Program has supported such recent advances in extending bridge life as well as construction and inspection activities.

Bridge Deck Link Slabs

A 2021 STIC Incentive Program funding recipient - the Bridge Deck Link Slabs innovation - made significant strides forward in 2022. Bridge deck joints have been one of the leading causes for premature bridge deterioration.

Link slabs are an economical way to eliminate bridge joints by connecting adjacent deck sections with a specially designed slab composed of either traditional or Ultra-High Performance Concrete and reinforced steel to connect bridge decks and eliminate deck joints to reduce the damage and deterioration caused by water and de-icing.

The advancement of this innovation is being led by Mark Nicholson, district bridge engineer in PennDOT's District 1, located in the northwestern part of the state. Following a pilot on a bridge over Lake Wilhelm in Mercer County in 2020, link slabs are currently being used for a bridge over Interstate 79, also located in Mercer County. The project was expected to be completed this fall, Nicholson said.

"Several other PennDOT districts have contacted me with questions on the use of link slabs and are considering them on their bridge projects," Nicholson said. "In our district, it will become a standard practice to consider them on all bridge projects, where applicable."

The STIC Incentive Program funding is being used to develop a design tool, which will ultimately help bridge engineers decide whether a bridge is suited for using Bridge Deck Links Slabs. The design tool, currently in the testing phase, analyzes the changes to the force effects on the bridge caused by the link slabs and determines if the effects are structurally acceptable, or if additional modifications to the structure are needed.

Radio-Frequency Identification Tag Usage

The Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags Test Usage project was selected to receive STIC Incentive Program funding in 2022. The goal of this project is to investigate the potential use of RFID Tags for various PennDOT assets. By scanning an RFID Tag, limitless data about the product to which it is attached becomes accessible.

For example, a precast concrete tag could display the manufacturer, date cast, test results, material certification, etc. Onsite material samples could be tagged and sent for testing where the tag is scanned to receive details about the sample. Once completed, data can be deleted, and the tag sent back out for use. Tags can also be used by maintenance forces when permanent items are tagged like signs, structures, guiderail, etc.

Next steps include determining what devices are available and best meet PennDOT's needs. Additional considerations include software types and IT security measures. The selected RFID Tags will be tested and evaluated for potential uses in construction and maintenance. Any remaining STIC Incentive Program funding will be used to purchase additional devices for use in the PennDOT districts and central office.

• Category: Design / Construction & Materials

Close Article

Strategic Recycling Program Supports Commonwealth's Operational Sustainability Efforts

Faced with limited resources and determined to enhance Pennsylvania's environment as it delivers transportation services, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) continues to advance its Strategic Recycling Program (SRP).

Started more than 20 years ago with a partnership between PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the SRP focus is to research and identify opportunities for recycled or recyclable materials in lieu of conventional products for PennDOT projects.

"Over the years, we've looked at a lot of different materials, some of which provided excellent performance and substitution opportunities, while others failed [because of] cost and/or performance issues," said Jeffrey C. Obrecht, senior project delivery leader with RK&K Consultants, one of the program leaders. "In the end, recycled products must stand on their own and perform."

Among the materials considered are crushed concrete aggregate, recycled asphalt pavement, asphalt shingles, glass, rubber, and plastics. Plastics are currently a main priority due to its large quantities and limited recycling opportunities.

In fall 2021, PennDOT's SRP collaborated with DEP and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to pave 1.5 miles of road in Ridley Creek State Park with an asphalt and recycled plastic asphalt modifier.

The material that was tested supports interagency goals to increase the commonwealth's sustainability in operations while supporting deployment in the state overall. Potential benefits include:

• Extended useful life of asphalt pavements.
• Diverting waste plastics from landfills and helping to establish a viable market for these plastics.
• Continued ability to reuse asphalt millings in future recycled-asphalt pavement applications.

The SRP team reports that the recycled plastic product is performing equivalent to conventional asphalt and there is no evidence that microplastics are released, which is a significant environmental concern. Monitoring the modified asphalt will continue for the next five years, and there are several additional recycled plastic product demonstrations that are planned in the next few years.

Obrecht added that the SRP team collaborates with PennDOT's Materials Testing Laboratory on all prospective product substitutions while cooperatively partnering with industry groups, vendors, other government entities and advocacy groups to ensure that performance expectations are met, the use is readily accommodated, and the recycled products are in sufficient quantity, are of known quality, and competitively priced to meet demand.

"When PennDOT specifies a construction material, they need a lot of it, and they need it right away," Obrecht said. "Any cost advantage potentially gained through using a recycled material evaporates if contractor must go the multiple recycling facilities to obtain the required construction quantities."

The SRP's assessment of materials testing and project monitoring addresses some of the risks of recycled product substitution. The SRP's outreach to the engineering and contracting community about substitution alternatives, preserving virgin resources, recognizing costs, and performance advantages help to address other risk elements in product substitutions.

"From a success perspective, SRP is making a difference, Obrecht said. "This program is opening people's eyes. "The program is making people aware of recycled materials substitution opportunities and both the immediate and long-term benefits."

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

---

Advancing to Next Generation of Traffic Operations and Incident Management

PennDOT is building on its commitment to ease traffic congestion through two initiatives: Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations and Next Generation Traffic Incident Management (TIM): Integrating Technology, Data and Training

Both are Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) innovations that Pennsylvania is championing through its State Transportation Innovation Council.

Over the last few years, PennDOT has produced software that relies on crowd-sourced incident data from Waze and Inrix, two transportation mobile applications that provide traffic speed and incident data.

The technology pulls together the speeds and incidents from a subset of vehicles on a given segment of road to provide real-time information, which enables PennDOT to create travel time messaging and increase roadway situational awareness.

"Many areas were relying on emergency responders calling us with incident reports," Ryan McNary, manager of Traffic Systems and the Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Performance said. "So, we wanted to utilize our data sources better."

Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) can use the data coming from Waze and Inrix to get more detailed information on length of congestion and better understand what is occurring on roadways. This allows TMCs to quickly post the information for queue protection and detouring and display it on the public-facing 511PA system.

The Next Generation Traffic Incident Management (TIM) incorporates training, data, and technology to help PennDOT, law enforcement officials and local agencies reduce secondary crashes and improve incident clearance times.

McNary said his objective is to put reliable data behind the incident timeline to help develop a data-driven 'incident influence time' measure of when traffic returns to historically normal speeds for that time of day. It's a matter of understanding how the incident influences traffic and road conditions over time.

"When an incident is cleared, the thought many times was the traffic management job is done," McNary said. "But what we are trying to adjust culturally, is that PennDOT's job isn't done until those queues are gone, and traffic is flowing as normal again. The residual congestion causes safety concerns, and hundreds of secondary incidents each year."

Training is an important component of the Next Generation TIM innovation. Online courses were developed with the help of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to deliver traffic incident training to emergency management professionals across the state.

PennDOT also recently agreed to obtain a video sharing software with Maryland called MView. The software allows public agencies around the state to view our live camera feeds in a video wall format. Additionally, several states surrounding Pennsylvania share their cameras to view bordering traffic concerns. In Maryland, over 200 public agencies share their cameras with one another to build a more comprehensive network while sharing resources.

"We're in the process of building our network of partners to share video with, and we continue outreach to 911 Centers and PSP Dispatch," McNary said.

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

Tree Shear Attachment Increases Safety and Productivity of Crews

In fall 2021, PennDOT's Engineering District 10 received funding to pilot an excavator-mounted tree shear attachment to help county maintenance crews quickly and efficiently clear away unwanted plants and trees along the roads that would normally be hard to reach or require them to stand on the uneven surface of a hillside. The tree shear also allows tree-trimming crews to work at a safe distance from the cutting, so that they are not in danger of falling trees or debris.

A typical tree trimming crew consists of a foreman, equipment operator, and four to five crew members. Tree thinning equipment normally includes a crew cab, dump truck, woodchipper, chain saws and other hand tools as required. With the tree shear attachment, the amount of hand tools is reduced as is some of the manual labor.

Use of the tree shear attachment has eliminated some of the dangers of tree and brush removal while increasing productivity. The tree shear attachment makes the tree removal process easier by cutting, lifting, and moving the tree into a safe location for crews to chip and remove from the site, and brush can also be cut from hillsides where footing may be unsafe for maintenance crews.

"The tree shear is very efficient," said Highway Maintenance Manager John Copeland. "There is less manual work by staff during tree trimming and tree removal jobs, and it is a much safer option because of the equipment."

Customer service levels have improved as well. For areas that need tree removal or trimming, crews get to these locations sooner and complete the job much faster than when the process was 100% manual labor.

"Piloting the tree shear was a complete success," Copeland said. "District 10 is now sharing the attachment across its five counties, and we plan to use it during the winter months when we have the need for trimming and removal, especially after snow and ice storms."

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

---

PennDOT Examines Durable Concrete Material for Bridge Preservation and Repair

In the past, PennDOT has used Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to complete new construction on accelerated timescales due to site limitations. The purpose of this Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) innovation that Pennsylvania is championing, is to apply the beneficial properties of UHPC to create durable lasting repair or retrofits to existing structures.

There are three different challenges that PennDOT is looking to UHPC to help address. The first is using of UHPC as a deck overlay. The second is using UHPC to repair steel beam ends. PennDOT recently completed a research project with the University of Pittsburgh that included UHPC steel beam end repairs as part of its scope of work.

The third is the use of UHPC to create Bridge Deck Link Slabs. Link slabs are replacements for bridge joints. They allow the structure to rotate without creating a maintenance item that needs regular replacement and keep deicing salts from having a pathway to affect the superstructure below the deck. Bridge Deck Link Slabs is a current STIC innovation and that has been piloted in District 1, located in the northwestern region of the state.

Modeling the effects of removing the bridge joint for the link slab requires significant advanced planning and preparation. Using STIC Incentive Program funding, PennDOT is working on developing a design tool for modeling these effects which will help bridge engineers decide whether a bridge is suited for using Bridge Deck Links Slabs.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

---

Innovations to Improve Work Zone Operations, Minimize Congestion and Delays Move Forward

Planning for efficient and effective work zones on Pennsylvania's roadways helps to minimize congestion and delays. FREeway EVALuation-Pennsylvania, or FREEVAL-PA, is a predictive work zone assessment tool for use by PennDOT employees and business partners. This innovation was developed through the State Transportation Innovation Council's (STIC) Safety and Traffic Operations Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The FREEVAL tool was first developed by North Carolina State University following a groundbreaking report by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program in 2016.

FREEVAL-PA is the Pennsylvania-specific version of the FREEVAL analysis software, created to analyze work zones' effect on traffic flow. It guides PennDOT's decision-making process for implementing lane closures, crossovers, or other traffic control methods and helps to minimize congestion and delays during construction or maintenance projects.

Since 2021, use of FREEVAL-PA is required for limited access facilities performing construction, maintenance and permit-related work zone activities on PennDOT highways. FREEVAL-PA can be used for work zone staging, lane reservation analysis, diversion sensitivity analysis, and scenario planning.

Roadway characteristics of every freeway segment in Pennsylvania, along with traffic volume and speed data, weather data, terrain data, and a computational engine powered by the Highway Capacity Manual, are programmed into FREEVAL-PA. The software provides planners and engineers the ability to quickly test the impacts of different work zone scenarios and quantify the effects of congestion over time. It also allows the user to create new analyses, open and review existing research, and test incident planning scenarios.

Since the software is pre-populated with data, high-level screenings of freeway segments that once took hours can now be done in seconds, while more detailed analyses, which could take days or weeks, can now be done in a matter of hours. Other planning applications for FREEVAL-PA include understanding time delays if a road is closed due to a crash. FREEVAL-PA also supports future applications such as the lane reservation system, which was first introduced in 2016 when PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) presented the idea to the STIC. The system uses data sources like FREEVAL-PA to determine the most appropriate times to allow work zone reservations.

When deployed, the Lane Reservation System will be similar to making an online reservation for a favorite restaurant. When trying to make a 7 p.m. Saturday night reservation at a popular restaurant on OpenTable, individuals typically find there are isn't one available. Instead, other time options are provided like a reservation at 4:30 or 9 p.m.

PennDOT's Lane Reservation System will perform in a similar fashion for making work zone reservations. If a work crew wants to reserve a lane on Interstate 76 near King of Prussia at 5 p.m. on a Thursday night, they are going to find that reservations are not available. However, they will be able to make a reservation to perform needed road work during off-peak hours as defined in the system.

Funding for this project is being split between PennDOT and a federal Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant and will incorporate a number of preliminary documents and requirements developed in collaboration with the PTC. The Lane Reservation System will be built on the platform PennDOT currently uses for command and control of intelligent transportation equipment and will offer users a number of ways to access the system such as PennDOT's Road Condition Reporting System for internal staff, as well as a website and mobile-friendly application for those outside of PennDOT's network.

• Category: Safety & Traffic Operations

Close Article

---

Electronic Ticketing Creates Efficiencies, Makes Jobsites Safer

Delivery tickets for the receipt of aggregate, asphalt, and concrete materials for PennDOT projects and/or at stockpiles have historically been received in the form of a paper ticket from the delivery truck driver to an onsite field inspector at the time of material delivery.

Electronic ticketing, or e-Ticketing, a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) innovation that Pennsylvania is championing, transforms this manual process into an electronic process. Ticket data is transmitted from a material producer's system either directly or indirectly through a third-party conduit to PennDOT's e-Ticketing app via an application programming interface (API).

Data is then accessible to field inspection staff via a mobile app, which they access on an iPad. Inspection staff can access this electronic ticket to track the acceptability of the material and capture any other notes regarding the material in the e-Ticketing app during delivery.

"The e-Ticketing takes our people out of the traffic footprint, and they can stand on the side of the road in a safe position and monitor the trucks as they come in," John Myler, assistant construction manager in PennDOT's District 11 based in Allegheny County said.

In addition to the e-Ticketing app, the ticket data is accessible to department staff via a web portal. This allows office staff better access to all historical e-Ticketing information for query, summarization, and/or research.

This innovation is addressing issues that came with having paper tickets, such as tickets getting lost, time taken sorting tickets, worksite hazards, etc. The benefits of e-Ticketing include an increase in safety, as field inspectors can stay on the non-traffic side of delivery trucks and an increase in productivity, as office staff no longer needs to sift through paper tickets.

During pilot seasons, coordination between field staff and the app development team in real time was essential for troubleshooting unique issues. With more mobile applications going into use in the field, iPads are being used more throughout the workday. This can create instances where battery life is not sufficient, so an alternative method of powering iPads is being researched.

During the first pilot season in 2021, districts were encouraged to use the e-Ticketing special provision on one project for each of the three material types (aggregate, asphalt, concrete). In 2022, districts were asked to use the e-Ticketing special provision on five projects for each of the three material types (aggregate, asphalt, concrete).

The e-Ticketing innovation will enter the third pilot year for the 2023 construction season with full implementation anticipated with the 2024 version of PennDOT's Publication 408. Proposed future enhancements include coordination with the concrete mobile app, incorporation of the concrete batch slip and the concrete batcher mixer slip, and coordination with the Electronic Construction and Materials Management System (eCAMMS).

As part of the EDC-6 Digital As-Builts innovation, PennDOT rolled out various pilot studies focusing on different areas, including guiderails, Existing Ground Confidence, bridge authoring, and drainage authoring to support the overall goal of PennDOT's Digital Delivery Directive (3D2025) initiative.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

PennDOT Launches Database to Enhance Customer Transparency

Vehicle safety and emission inspections, license plate issuance, registration and titling are an integral part of ensuring the safety and proper registration of all who travel Pennsylvania's roadways.

In June 2022, PennDOT launched a new database that discloses vehicle inspection stations, inspectors, vehicle dealers and issuing agents that are under suspension for infractions of state inspection regulations, vehicle code infractions and contract requirements.

This new database enhances customer transparency by providing real-time updates with listings of suspended inspection stations, inspectors, vehicle dealers, and other issuing agents across Pennsylvania. Customers can also see the violation that resulted in the business's suspension, which includes an easy-to-understand list of violation definitions to provide the customer a clear understanding of why the business was suspended.

Making this information easily accessible provides Pennsylvania residents with the ability to obtain information needed to make informed decisions on the vehicle service providers they choose.

Approximately 17,000 safety inspection stations and approximately 7,700 emission inspection stations operate in Pennsylvania, monitored by PennDOT Quality Assurance Officers (QAOs). Through regularly scheduled visits, unannounced inspections, and covert audits to inspection stations, the QAOs ensure compliance with the regulations governing the inspectors, vehicle safety inspection and emissions inspection programs as well as the administrative requirements of these programs. They also investigate customer complaints against inspection stations or inspectors reported to PennDOT.

Additionally, there are approximately 8,000 vehicle dealers and issuing agents in Pennsylvania contracted to provide services, such as titling and registration, to customers on PennDOT's behalf. They are monitored by PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services' Regulated Client Services Section and Risk Management Office through unannounced audits, scheduled site inspections, and analysis of internal reports of title transactions.

Customer reports of suspected wrongdoing or complaints can also be made by telephone or email to the PennDOT tip line at (717) 705-9913 or RA-pdPennDOTTip@pa.gov.

Utilizing all of these tools, PennDOT works diligently to ensure dealers, issuing agents, inspectors, and inspection stations are in compliance with requirements. In turn, customers have a reliable resource to make them aware of a vehicle provider suspension and the reason for the suspension. These efforts help ensure that vehicles owned by Pennsylvania residents are properly titled, registered, and inspected leading to the improved safety of occupants of the vehicle and those they interact with on the roadways.

For more information, visit the Suspended Inspection Stations and Inspectors page on PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services website to see what stations or inspectors are under suspension. For a list of dealers or issuing agents under suspension, visit the Suspended Issuing Agents page.

• Category: Driver & Vehicle Services

Close Article

Innovative Retaining Wall System Prevents Future Slope Failures

In September 2021, Hurricane Ida caused significant damage to a roadway slope on PA 568 in Robeson Township, Berks County. The flooding sent a stone masonry end wall and a section of a 48-inch diameter cross-pipe 150 feet downstream, which resulted in a lane closure.

Since time was of the essence to fully reopen the roadway prior to the winter season, a repair plan was developed that could be completed entirely by the Berks County maintenance team, which is part of PennDOT's Engineering District 5. This included obtaining all the necessary materials and keeping all repairs within PennDOT's existing 40-foot right-of-way.

With the challenge of a 15-foot elevation difference between the outlet of the pipe and the top of the roadway, the team determined the best method was a "Stone Strong Retaining Wall System."

This type of retaining wall system prevents further slope failures around the pipe due to the pipe outlet being over 15 feet below the road surface. Using county maintenance funds, this was the first time that maintenance forces in PennDOT District 5 used this type of retaining wall system, and they were up for the challenge of trying something new.

For a month and a half, the crew worked diligently alongside the district bridge coordinator to complete this project, and work was completed on Jan. 14, 2022. Work included excavation to expose the existing pipe, installation of the retaining wall system and backfilling, and placement of the final blacktop and guiderail.

Some specific details of the installation process included:

• Exposing the existing pipe to repair and realigning the existing 48-inch concrete pipe that had separated.
• Cleaning out the stream bed of debris and opening the outlet end up for the new end wall.
• Placing geotextile material and then backfilling with #57 crushed stone to create a compacted level pad for the retaining wall to rest on.
• Placing the Stone Strong Retaining Wall System.

Each retaining wall block weighed anywhere between 6,000 to 7,000 lbs. Each row of blocks required placement of compacted, crushed stone in the cavity of the blocks and backfilling the slope in front of the wall. The retaining wall ended up being 40 feet wide by 15 feet high by 7 feet deep.

The project was finished off with placement of stone followed by 200 tons of asphalt for a 200 foot stretch to get the road back to its original profile. Trying to find an asphalt plant open in the middle of January and then having a day with proper temperatures and no precipitation proved to be a challenge.

The overall project took 2,700 employee hours to complete, which proved challenging for the team during the height of the winter season and maintaining routine operations. While this project tested the skills of the Berks County maintenance forces, they were up for the challenge and rose to the occasion.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article

---

Training Course Leads the Way to Mistake-Proof Concrete Finishing

In 2018, an informal discussion began around the idea that the skill level of concrete finishers can be more important than the physical concrete itself as it pertains to the quality and longevity of the finished product.

In response to this need for a better-quality product, development of a training course was set in motion through the State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC). The goal of the training, which includes classroom and practical, hands-on work, is to help improve the durability and extend the service life of concrete as well as eliminate mistakes in concrete finishing that can result in costly repairs or reconstruction.

"The certification classes have been well received by participants," said Jim Casilio, P.E., director of Technical Services for the Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA), who has played a leading role in implementing the innovation. "Rave reviews are coming in from them. Because the training results in lifetime certification, the finishers feel they are getting a lot out of the course."

The STIC's Certified Concrete Finishers Course innovation reached an important milestone in April 2022 when PennDOT adopted a specification change to include the certification requirement on all PennDOT projects. With this change, contractors are required to ensure that 60% of their crews are certified to meet the new specification.

From 2020 to 2021, there was an approximate 50% increase in the number of concrete finishers who completed the training. Since 2019, nearly 1,600 Pennsylvania concrete finishers completed either the National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) or American Concrete Institute (ACI) certification programs, making Pennsylvania first in the nation with finishers who have received the NRMCA lifetime certification. PACA conducted 52 certification classes in 2022, which trained more than 800 individuals.

"With the NRMCA certification requiring a hands-on concrete placement portion, these sessions have shown time and time again to be a unique opportunity for senior finishers to help instruct, mentor and train those newer to the industry," Casilio said. "Bringing together the experienced and the new in an educational setting away from an active project site was a fantastic, unexpected program outcome."

For more information, visit the Certified Concrete Finishers Course page on the STIC website.

• Category: Construction & Materials

Close Article

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: A Grader Blade Becomes an Ice Blade

Sometimes in winter, maintenance crews see a build-up of ice on roadways that materials and grader blades can't easily remove. When there is ice packed on roadways, an ice blade can break up the packed snow or ice that has bonded with the road into smaller pieces that can then be plowed off.

Purchasing ice blades can be costly, and for the few times a year they are needed, they may not be a sensible expense. To address roadway ice issues, the Indiana County maintenance team in PennDOT's Engineering District 10, turned an old grader blade into an ice blade.

Since the grader blade was no longer serving a purpose in the county, the County Maintenance Manager John Serian and his team worked up plans to make the grader blade into an ice blade, saving $3,000 on the purchase of a new one.

To make the ice blade, which took two days to complete, a welder cut notches into the old grader blade and then smoothed the edges of the cuts. A wearing layer and paint was added to the blade to protect it from the weather. The blade mounts just like a grader blade, and it takes 20 minutes to switch out the blades.

The ice blade has been used throughout the county when ice build-up can't be removed using typical methods.

"We needed a better way to get ice buildup off the roads and we had some old grader blades that weren't serving any useful purpose, so we turned them into ice blades," Serian said. "Making the grader blade into an ice blade allowed us to use materials we already had to make a new piece of equipment to better handle a job."

Serian added that there are no one size fits all solutions when it comes to winter maintenance.

"The ice blade was a low-cost build that has worked out very well for us," he said.

• Category: Maintenance

Close Article