2021 Annual Report

With PennDOT directly responsible for approximately 40,000 roadway miles and 25,400 bridges in Pennsylvania, maintaining our transportation network takes strong partnership among the department, federal and local governments, planning partners, the construction industry and our communities.

In addition to the state's highways and bridges, a robust menu of travel and commerce options such as aviation, transit and rail facilities are also essential to keeping people and goods moving.

*5-Year Average

This is a multi-year statistical review of reportable motor vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania. A reportable crash is one in which the incident occurs on a highway or traffic way that is open to the public and an injury or a fatality occurs, or at least one of the vehicles involved requires towing from the scene.

As the five-year crash fatality average has begun to level out, PennDOT is more committed than ever to making Pennsylvania's roadways safer for travelers of all modes. PennDOT's 2022 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, found online at PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety, outlines our strategy to decrease, and eventually eliminate, crash fatalities in Pennsylvania. Additionally, the public can access commonly requested crash and fatality information, as well as create their own custom searches with the Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool online at CrashInfo.PennDOT.gov.

• New Driver License Program Expands Eligibility to Improve Independence for Visually Impaired

  Visually impaired Pennsylvania residents can now use bioptic telescope lenses to obtain a learner's permit and ultimately earn a driver's license. Act 131, which was signed into law by Governor Wolf in November 2020, took effect September 27, 2021 and allows eligible individuals to use bioptic telescope lenses that can help them meet visual acuity standards to qualify for and obtain a driver's license. PennDOT has developed the program's training and licensing process and has now implemented the program.

  This law makes significant changes that will ultimately increase many of our residents' independence and enhance their quality of life. The law allows drivers with a visual acuity less than 20/100 combined but at least 20/200 visual acuity in the best corrected eye, to be eligible to apply for a Bioptic Telescope Learner's Permit.

  In order to be eligible, the individual must:

  • Pass a complete vision examination completed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist;
  • Have possessed a Bioptic Telescope Lens for at least three months;
  • Undergo a minimum of 10 hours of front seat passenger-in-car instruction with a Low-Vision Rehabilitation Professional; and
  • Provide the Department a letter of enrollment with a PennDOT approved Certified Driving Instructor (CDI) or Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS).

  Once all requirements have been met, the applicant may apply for a Bioptic Telescope Learner's Permit. Upon successful completion of PennDOT's knowledge test, the applicant must complete a minimum of 20 hours behind-the-wheel driver training using the Bioptic Telescope with a PennDOT approved (CDI) or (CDRS), plus 45 hours of observed driving hours with a licensed person who is age 21 or older in order to complete the 65 hours of accompanied driving required and reassessed by a PennDOT approved CDI or CDRS before taking the skills exam. Bioptic telescope drivers may only drive during daylight hours, are limited to roads other than freeways and may only drive passenger vehicles weighing no more than 10,000 pounds.

• Partnering with PA Agencies to address School Bus Driver Shortage

  PennDOT partnered with Department of Health, Department of Education and the PA School Bus Association to do its part to encourage those looking for employment or supplemental employment to consider obtaining a school bus endorsement to help get Pennsylvania's children to school.

  PennDOT mailed a letter from Pennsylvania Department of Education reaching out to approximately 376,000 individuals with Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDL) to help connect interested drivers with school entities. The letter included information for a survey for individuals who had an interest in exploring employment opportunities. Over 1,600 individuals expressed an interest in serving as a school bus driver through the survey. PennDOT also temporarily opened CDL skills testing on Mondays, for four weeks, as the Commonwealth faced a shortage of school bus drivers. This began on Monday, October 18, 2021. These additional testing appointments were intended to allow an increased opportunity to schedule time for a CDL skills test for those who were interested.

• Commercial Driver Licensing Updates

  As a result of state law, Act 131 of 2020, PennDOT extended the validity period of a commercial learner's permit from 180 days to one year. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently changed regulations to allow a jurisdiction the choice of the 180-day commercial learner's permit with an additional 180-day extension or a one-year commercial learner's permit. A one-year permit is more convenient for customers, giving them more time to prepare for their skills test. Additionally, a longer validity period means that fewer customers will need to extend their permit, which will help decrease customer traffic in driver license centers. This section of the law became effective May 23, 2021.

  Act 131 also updated the requirements and restrictions for commercial driver's license holders, including reporting requirements for convictions and violations. One of these changes disqualifies an individual from operating a commercial motor vehicle for life if they are convicted of using a commercial motor vehicle to commit certain forms of severe human trafficking. This section of the law became effective May 25, 2021.

• Elimination of Registration Class Stickers

  Historically, trucks with a registered weight of 5,001 pounds or greater were required to display a registration class sticker on their windshield. This is an antiquated and unreliable indicator for law enforcement and inconvenient for the industry/vehicle owners. The Department published its intent to eliminate registration class stickers.

PennDOT Driver License Centers are operated by PennDOT employees and offer driver license services.

PennDOT's stand-alone Photo Centers are located throughout Pennsylvania. When you receive a camera card, which is an invitation to our photo license, identification card process, you must appear at a photo center to obtain a photo for a driver's license or an identification card.

PennDOT partners with private businesses to provide customers with face-to-face, over-the-counter services. Online indicates that these business partners have a secure, electronic connection to PennDOT and can issue a variety of products on-the-spot. These businesses charge a market-driven fee for their services in addition to applicable PennDOT fees.

9.1 Million

Licensed Drivers

12.1 Million

Registered Vehicles

3,370

Special Fund License Plates Sold

$71,800

Special Fund License Plates Proceeds

10.3 Million

Online Transaction

26,144

Personal License Plates Sold

25,506

PA Motorcycle License App Downloads

807,444

Licensed Motorcyclists

375,462

Registered Motorcycles

10,193

Participants in the Motorcycle Safety Course

242,503

PA Driver License App Downloads

The Pennsylvania State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) continues to be a vital and collaborative entity that remains focused on advancing proven innovations to improve transportation for the people of Pennsylvania.

Despite another challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 saw the selection of five Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) innovations that Pennsylvania is pursuing, including Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations; e-Ticketing and Digital As-Builts; Next Generation Traffic Incident Management (TIM): Integrating Technology, Data and Training; Targeted Pavement Overlay Solutions (TOPS); and Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) for Bridge Preservation and Repair. Additionally, significant progress was made on innovations from previous EDC rounds, including Unmanned Aerial Systems and Collaborative Hydraulics: Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE).

Four new STIC innovations were introduced in 2021, including Slotted Median Barriers, Standardizing Concrete Color on Bridges, the Environmental Monitor Role for Large Construction Projects and LED Lighted Plow Wings. This brought the total number of STIC innovations currently in development to 11. Two additional innovations — Certified Concrete Finishers Course and Sequential Dynamic Lighting Curve Warning Systems — moved to the Advancement Phase of the STIC Innovation Development Process, and three innovations were fully deployed — Hot Pour Mastics, Stormwater Training and Field Guidebook and Predictive Work Zone Analysis.

A project, coordinated through PennDOT's Strategic Recycling Program that is funded through DEP, includes two quarter-mile roadway stretches surfaced with an asphalt/recycled-plastic mix. The material is intended to strengthen the roadway surface without leaching plastic material into the surrounding environment.

This new material being 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; and
• Continued ability to reuse asphalt millings in future recycled- asphalt pavement applications.

• Personal Delivery Devices

  On January 30, 2021, Act 106 of 2020 went into effect, permitting the operation of Personal Delivery Devices (PDDs) — ground based delivery devices manufactured for transporting cargo or goods and is operated by a driving system that allows for autonomous and/or remote operation.

  Prior to operating, an applicant must receive a PDD Authorization from the PennDOT. Per Act 106, PennDOT was charged with establishing policies and guidelines to administer the authorization of PDDs. When developing the policy, PennDOT solicited feedback from over 2,600 organizations/stakeholders including local, state, and federal officials, members of law enforcement, advocacy organizations, and PDD developers. On January 29, PennDOT published the Personal Delivery Device Operations Policy (PDF). Six months later, Kiwibot became the first authorized PDD company, delivery food in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

• Highly Automated Vehicle Incident

  To aid first responders, PennDOT created the first-of-its-kind AV incident response mobile application to ensure field personnel have all of the information they need to safely address an incident. By simply entering the license plate of the AV, responders can have access to information on extraction, firefighting, towing, data preservation, and more. In addition, responders can alert PennDOT of an incident through the touch of a button.

• Automated Vehicle Public Survey

  In 2021, the Highly Automated Vehicle Advisory Committee conducted a public survey to identify the public's perception of automated vehicles including expectation, and concerns related to automated vehicles. Over 5,000 individuals responded, resulting in a 2% margin of error. In general, areas exposed to AV testing had a more favorable viewpoint on the technology. One area of overwhelmingly consensus was that state government involved with evaluating safety of automated vehicle testing and deployment.

• Platooning Transit Vehicle Feasibility Study

  With the passage of Act 117 of 2018, transit vehicles are permitted to platoon on highways in Pennsylvania. PennDOT performed a study to determine if platooning transit vehicles can supplement existing intercity passenger rail in western Pennsylvania. As part of the study, PennDOT determined the level of investment, documented potential impacts to the region and existing services, evaluated ridership demand, and determined a return on investment.

• PennDOT Implements, Advances Strategic Plan SMART Goals

  With the finalization of the PennDOT Strategic Plan and the identification of seven new strategic themes that focus on building safe, equitable and sustainable transportation systems, PennDOT organizations identified 39 deputate-level, Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals in 2021 that demonstrate how the department's programs and operations align with and work toward achieving the goals outlined in the updated PennDOT Strategic Plan. As of the end of 2021, two of the 39 SMART Goals were implemented, both focusing on enhancing employee and customer safety, and marked progress was made on each of the other goals with many having a planned implementation date of early 2022.

• PennDOT Rolls Out Travel and Tourism Certification Program

  PennDOT implemented a comprehensive Travel and Tourism Certification Program in 2021 for its Tourist Information Counselors located at PennDOT's 14 Keystone Welcome Centers. The program was designed to promote high-quality travel and tourism information services provided by the counselors who, on average, assist more than 3 million travelers per year.

  Through a combination of 20 hours of virtual and self-guided, web-based training modules, the program enhances the knowledge and skills sets of the Tourist Information Counselors that are needed to deliver more customized information and enhanced experiences for travelers. The program includes information on the geography of Pennsylvania, National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Byways Program, planning and developing travel itineraries, map reading, historic trails and heritage areas.

• PennDOT Celebrates 25 Years of Agility

  PennDOT's Agility Program celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2021. Launched in 1996, with a pilot in PennDOT's District 1, and implemented in every PennDOT district by 1997, the program enables service-for-service exchanges with eligible partners, such as state and federal agencies, local governments, universities, and eligible non-profit organizations.

  Through Agility, PennDOT and its eligible partners are able to exchange services, equipment and staff without monetary payments, helping to make the most of limited resources, while developing strong and rewarding relationships. Examples of more common exchanges include: a partner receiving painted road lines in exchange for mowing; a partner receiving inlet cleaning in exchange for street sweeping; and a partner paving local roads in exchange for litter pick up and meeting space, to name a few; though, many unconventional Agility exchanges have been executed since the program's inception as well.

  Nearly 3,300 Agility Agreements with approximately 2,000 Agility partners have been executed across the commonwealth over the past 25 years.

• LEAN at PennDOT

  39

  LeanPA Projects in 2021

  18,409

  Hours Saved

  72%

  Improvement

  In support of Governor Wolf's LeanPA initiative, PennDOT continued to provide updates to the Governor's Office of Performance through Excellence (OPE) in 2021 on Lean and process improvement initiatives being advanced across the department through the coordinated efforts of PennDOT's Bureau of Innovations (BOI) and its District Lean Leaders. Lean is a set of tools and strategies aimed at improving performance by making processes simpler, better, faster, and cheaper. Lean focuses on the customer by maximizing customer value and minimizing waste.

  PennDOT hosted a first-of-its-kind virtual “Innovating Innovation” event in 2021. Attended by nearly 600 PennDOT employees, this event showcased three innovation councils, committees, or competitions and provided attendees with an overview of each program's structure, participation, and leadership support. These programs provide employees at all levels of the organization with the opportunity to suggest, discuss, and assist in implementing appropriate ideas to make PennDOT better, safer, and more efficient.

  Further, in the spring of 2021, BOI hosted Lean conversations across each deputate, resulting in 19 Lean process improvement projects that were completed by PennDOT organizations by the end of the year. In addition, several communications initiatives to help increase Lean awareness across the department were also implemented in 2021, including a Lean Dashboard, fact sheets and videos that highlighted Lean resources and successful Lean projects, and a Lean Resources page on an internal employee portal.

  Through these efforts, PennDOT organizations reported 10 projects with 18,409 hours in time savings, nine projects with $651,835 in annual cost savings and 20 projects with a 72 percent improvement in quality or throughput in 2021 alone. Since PennDOT began reporting Lean metrics in 2018, there have been 57 Lean projects that have reported a total of 27,583 hours in time savings annually, 11 projects that showed $973,779 in annual cost savings, and 151 projects that improved operations by an average of 32 percent. Read more about many of these projects in the PennDOT Efficiencies Report.

• Dismantling Systemic Racism and Inequities Report

  At PennDOT, we are paying special attention to exploring solutions that will reduce inequities in our system, build resilience against future disruptions, improve safety, and support both environmental and financial sustainability.

  In 2020, PennDOT convened the Dismantling Systemic Racism and Inequities (DSRI) Working Group, which includes staff from across PennDOT. The DSRI Working Group was charged with assessing PennDOT's diversity and inclusion efforts, better understanding structural racism in transportation generally, and evaluating programs and initiatives that could help with these issues.

  The DSRI Working Group's efforts culminated in the Dismantling Systemic Racism and Inequities 2021 report, which discussed how PennDOT can achieve greater equity in the areas of contracting, public involvement, community investment, our boards and commissions, and of course, our own internal culture at the department.

  But truly cultivating transportation equity isn't about compiling a report or checking a box. These principles must be engrained into PennDOT's work. Creating and supporting a quality transportation system that works for everyone is at the center of the department's mission, and PennDOT is committed to the ongoing work that this requires.

• PennDOT Hosts Virtual Innovation Days

  With its continued focus on using innovative approaches to run organizations at peak efficiency, PennDOT hosted the PennDOT Virtual Innovation Days event in November 2021. The three-day event included 12 sessions with presentations focused on making roadways and bridges last, technology and project delivery, maintenance equipment, techniques and materials, enhanced design and construction approaches, multimodal transportation planning, and tools to reduce traffic congestion and enhance safety.

  Nearly 850 individuals participated in the virtual event, representing diverse audiences from PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, FHWA Pennsylvania Division Office, municipal governments, local planning partners, public transportation agencies, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations, and consultants/contractors.

  The event also included a Virtual Exhibit Hall that showcased nearly 100 exhibits about innovative equipment, materials, applications, and technologies that can help in performing work safer, better, faster, and save money.

• PennDOT Celebrates Employees at Annual Awards Ceremony

  PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian, P.E., hosted the annual PennDOT Virtual Innovations Award Ceremony in 2021, recognizing the groundbreaking work of 48 PennDOT employees during the past year. Twenty-two employees were recognized for their innovative idea and smart practice submissions into PennDOT's IdeaLink and WorkSmart online employee engagement systems.

  Twenty-six permanent members of PennDOT District 12's Safety, Quality and Innovation Council received the first-ever George W. McAuley, Jr., P.E. Innovation Award, for developing a plan that brought new vigor and direction along with an added focus of promoting and celebrating innovation across the district. The award, named for PennDOT's late executive deputy secretary who passed away in 2021, recognizes an employee-driven team that promotes and fosters innovation at all levels of the organization.

• PennDOT Hosts Fourth Annual Innovations Challenge in 2021

  The challenge asked students, in ninth through 12th grades, to develop an innovative and implementable solution to help 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.

  PennDOT received more than 30 innovative solutions from schools across the state. In April 2021, nine regional winners participated in a virtual statewide judging event with the Secretary and a panel of judges in lieu of an in-person judging event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  The 2021 PennDOT Innovations Challenge winning team from Lower Moreland High School in Montgomery County developed the concept of installing power generating plates across Pennsylvania's road network, creating a new and innovative funding stream for Pennsylvania's transportation system.

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