Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference 2024

Topic 1: Interim Report on Project Delivery from the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC)
Speaker: Kim Lucas .

Topic 2: PennDOT District Level Project Delivery Challenges.
Speaker: Rich Reisinger

Topic 3: Municipal Challenges - Delivering a Large Influx in BIL Funded Projects.  
Speaker: Chris Puchalsky

Heavy trucks are a critical piece of a region’s freight movement plan.  However, managing where and when these vehicles may travel is a logistical and operational challenge for both municipalities and PennDOT.  During this session, the presenters will cover (1) the Pennsylvania laws and regulations that are used to restrict truck traffic on both state and local road, and (2) strategies that are being used in the Lehigh Valley to manage the impact of truck traffic in the region.        
Topic 1: Posted Roads – Understanding 4902(a) and (b) Postings       
Speaker: Nick Ninosky

Topic 2: Posted Roads – Understanding 4902(a) and (b) Postings       
Speaker: Halley Cole

Topic 3: Planning for trucks in Your Community           
Speaker: Brian Hite

This session will present current day Federal and Pennsylvania perspectives for highway freight planning and operations. The FHWA PA Division will provide updates of topical interest that will set the stage for three areas of statewide interest: infrastructure preservation through bridge strike prevention, municipal freight planning, and implementation of the 2023 TAC Truck Parking Study.

Federal Perspective
State Perspective

Topic 1: Infrastructure Preservation – Bridge Strike Prevention
Speaker: Todd Trautz

Topic 2: Local Perspective – Municipal Planning for Freight
Speaker: Bob Dolan

Topic 3: Operations Perspective – TAC Truck Parking Implementation
Speaker: Tom Phelan

With over 40,000 fatalities on our roads every year, the Drive to Zero initiative across the country is a top goal within the transportation industry.  This session will explore all the various efforts being taken by the private sector, the City of Pittsburgh and FHWA to help us reach those goals.

Topic 1: Exploratory Research on Assessing the Risk of Fatal Crashes
Speaker: Ben Pierce

Topic 2:  City of Pittsburgh’s Vision Zero Policy
Speaker: Patty Kerns & Panini Chowdhury

 Topic 3: Advancing the Systemic Approach to Safety
 Speaker: Matt Hinshaw

This is an overview of the new ADA requirements related to PROWAG and how it has rippled through the new DM2 and PennDOT's design process.  Topics to be covered include pedestrians, plain people considerations, transit, parking, and MPT.

Topic 1: What’s new in PROWAG, conflicts with MUTCD, and PROWAG implementation
Speaker: David Melville

Topic 2: What are the ADA implications for pedestrians, plain people considerations, transit, parking
Speaker: Keith A Johnson

Topic 3: How should ADA be considered in the development of MPT
Speaker: Brian E. Shunk, P.E.

Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order 2023-07 established the Office of Transformation and Opportunity (OTO), which has been established to work with Commonwealth agencies to eliminate barriers to economic development and increase the efficiency in processing permits. As part of the effort, both OTO and PennDOT have established various teams to identify and implement improvements to the highway occupancy permit (HOP) program to streamline the permitting process. This session looks to provide an update on those improvements.

Topic 1:   OTO’s Coordination and Collaboration with Stakeholders                 
Speaker: Eliza Erickson

Topic 2: Customer Service Team Achievements
Speaker: Eric Kinard

Topic 3: Traffic Engineering Team Achievements
Speaker: Steve Gault

Fiber optic communications play a crucial role within the operation of freeway and arterial traffic systems.  Fiber optics enable real-time communication between traffic signal systems and central control systems, ensuring efficient traffic flow and minimizing delays. Real-time data transmission helps transportation agencies make informed decisions, optimize routes, and improve overall safety.  Toll collection systems rely on seamless communication between toll booths, cameras, and backend servers to drive accurate toll calculations and efficient revenue collection.  Additionally, fiber optic networks support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Ultra-low latency fiber networks are essential for reliable V2X communication, improving road safety and enabling innovations in transportation.

In this session, hear from speakers from PennDOT and the PA Turnpike regarding how they will leverage fiber optic and broadband communications to efficiently operate their roadway networks. Additionally, Kokosing Construction will provide insight into construction of PA Turnpike’s network based on their perspective as the prime contractor on a 165-mile fiber deployment between Harrisburg and New Stanton.

Topic 1:   PA Turnpike Fiber Optic & Broadband Deployment Initiatives
Speaker: Brittany Piazza

Topic 1: PA Turnpike Fiber Optic Design-Build – A Contractor’s Perspective
Speaker: Mitchell Radigan

Topic 3:   Pennsylvania Broadband Update
Speaker: Brandon Peters

PennDOT is progressing twelve model as a legal document (MALD) pilots as part of the Digital Delivery Directive 2025 which will allow 3D deliverables for the first time. These pilot projects are setting a new standard for PennDOT design processes and deliverables but are not without challenges. This session will highlight two pilot projects and the PennDOT MALD team leading this effort.

Topic 1
Speaker: Andrew Thompson

Topic 2
Speakers: Scott Mcmasters & Jennifer Steen

Topic 3
Speakers:Rob Nuss & Amanda Olbeter