Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference 2024

Michael Centi, PennDOT BOO

Brian Keaveney, Pennoni Associates

PennDOT’s Policy Office works on issues at the edge of the Department’s jurisdiction, including alternative uses of the right-of-way.  This session will look at three of these.

Topic 1:      PennDOT’s New Policy on Murals in State Right-of-Way
Speaker: Jeffrey Young

Topic 2:      Navigating Micromobility from Wheels to Laws
Speaker: Roy Gothie

Topic 3:      Guidance for PA Municipalities on EV On-Street Home Charging
Speaker: Ngani Ndimbie

This session will look at various efforts to demonstrate the value of TSMO solutions in improving safety and mobility on the impacted roadways. We will examine the results of cost/benefit analysis for PennDOT solutions and also look at tools that can be used to aid in such analyses.

Topic 1:  Demonstrating the Value of Active Traffic Management on I-76        
Speaker: Brian Depan

Topic 2: Demonstrating the Value of Virtual Queue Protection 
Speaker: Ben Brubaker

Topic 3: Other PennDOT Efforts and Analysis Tools      
Speaker: Scott Benedict

What are the ramifications of designing streets to maintain peak hour capacity? We’ll broaden the scope to look at 24-hour operations on a selection of multilane arterials throughout Philadelphia. How much of the day do these corridors have excess capacity and what are the resulting impacts on driver speeds and safety, particularly for vulnerable road users. This session takes theories introduced in NCHRP 1036: Roadway Cross-Section Reallocation and applies them to real world examples, layering in speed and crash data to more fully evaluate how these corridors operate outside of the traditional peak hour view of a traffic engineer.

Topic 1:  24-Hour Capacity Framework
Speakers: Bastian Schroeder & Conor Semler

Topic 2: Evaluating the Off-Peak Impacts of Designing for Peak Hour Operations 
Speakers: Adam Smith & Jacob Elliott

Topic 3 Implementing Complete Streets, Safe Systems, and NCHRP 1036 in Minnesota
Speaker: Sarina Praseedom

This session will present three projects from across the state highlighting the alternatives considered. Projects include the SR 28-Highland Park Interchange in Pittsburgh; a tale of two dated bridges crossing the Susquehanna River connecting Pittston and West Pittson in Luzerne County; and operations and design alternatives for Complete Streets project along Washington Avenue in Philadelphia.

Topic 1: SR 0028-A65 Highland Park Interchange Improvement Project
Speakers: David Jackson & Jessica Belowich   Tim Benner
State Route 28 is a limited-access facility that has two lanes in each direction throughout most of its length; however, at the Highland Park Interchange, Route 28 was only one lane in each direction. This configuration resulted in a physical bottleneck for traffic and frequent vehicle crashes. The Highland Park Interchange Improvement Project (SR 0028, Section A56) sought to address these issues. As part of this project, two lanes were established through the interchange to ensure lane continuity and increase mobility. In addition to reducing traffic congestion, the project addressed other deficiencies, including substandard roadway geometrics and vertical clearances. Sound barriers were installed to reduce noise for adjacent residents. The project enhanced pedestrian safety by installing three new traffic signals and upgrading pedestrian facilities along Freeport Road, which serves as the sole pedestrian link between the communities of Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and O’Hara. Join us for a presentation that will share project details, project safety improvements, unique conditions, and challenges that were overcome in construction.
 
Topic 2: A Story of Transportation History, Big Data, and Two Bridges across the Susquehanna River
Speakers: Tim Benner & Rob Watts
In Luzerne County, between Pittston and West Pittston, two 1,000-foot bridges span the Susquehanna River within a quarter mile of each other. The Fort Jenkins Bridge--an 11-span concrete arch built in 1924--carries US Route 11 and is part of National Highway System and is in poor condition. The Water Street Bridge--a 5-span metal truss built in 1914--is a county-owned bridge that was closed in August 2021 due to structural deterioration.
The current and ongoing Fort Jenkins Bridge Project is studying both bridges, and the Alternatives Analysis looked at options for rehabilitating or replacing the bridges, with potential removal of one of the bridges. The presentation will tell the story of how the history of the bridges, the dynamics of the communities they connect, and network transportation demand were considered in the alternatives analysis process. Elements of the presentation will include the challenges of revising the project's purpose and need; the application and award of a $19 million RAISE Grant to fund the Water Street Bridge improvements; and origin-destination pattern analysis using "big data" tools.

Topic 3: Operations and Design Alternatives in Philadelphia Complete Streets Projects
Description
Speakers: Will Cowan, Andrew Simpson, & Adam Smith
This presentation will focus on the operational and design alternatives for two complete streets projects in Philadelphia. The first is Washington Ave in South Philadelphia, where construction was completed in Spring 2023 and WSP just completed the post-installation analysis. The presenters will briefly introduce the initial alternatives analysis that was included as part of the conceptual design and public outreach process. They will then discuss the post-analysis travel time runs and volume collection and how that data compared with the assumptions and findings as part of the analysis of the selected alternative. The second project is Market Street from 20th to 23rd Street in Center City. WSP coordinated with OTIS, Streets, and PennDOT to compare several design alternatives. The presenters will delve into how the bike facility was located, the analysis that needed to account for the Market Street bridge reconstruction, and how consideration of bicycle and pedestrian safety was accounted for in the model and design.

PennDOT is exploring revolutionary changes to transportation from self-driving cars to self-flying air transport. Come hear an update on these exciting planning projects.

Topic 1: Future of Advanced Air Mobility in PA
Speakers: Anthony McCloskey & Jonathan Riehl

Topic 2:  Automated Driving Systems Demonstration Grant Updates
Speakers: Gunnar Rhone & Vijay Varadarajan

Topic 3: Emergency Life Saving through Multi-modal Mobility (ELSa-M3) - Johnstown Airport Smart Grant
Speakers: Larry Nulton & John Eberhardt 

Join us for an in-depth exploration of the modernization efforts currently underway in District 12 along the I-70 corridor in Washington and Westmoreland Counties. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the historical context of the corridor, highlighting key milestones and developments.
We will delve into the innovative technologies and strategies being employed to enhance infrastructure, addressing the unique challenges faced in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Attendees will learn about the funding mechanisms that support these modernization efforts, as well as effective asset management strategies.
A significant focus will be on a major reconstruction project, where we will discuss its progression through the design phase and the various obstacles encountered along the way. The session will culminate in a lessons learned segment, covering critical topics such as geotechnical exploitation, environmental considerations, Design/Build traffic control, and the integration of roundabouts.
This session is ideal for professionals in transportation planning, civil engineering, and infrastructure management, offering valuable insights into successful modernization practices and the future of transportation in the region. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with industry experts and enhance your understanding of these vital projects.

Topic 1:  Overview and Innovations
Speaker: Jeremy Shaneyfelt

Topic 2:  Asset Management and Funding
Speaker: Angela Swallop Baker

Topic 3: SR 0070, Section 10K Bentleyville to Belle Vernon Bridge Reconstruction (B2B)           
Speaker: Patrick B. Richter & Sean Sepe

Topic 4:  Lessons Learned
Speaker: William Beaumariage

This session will focus on how automated speed enforcement (ASE) has been piloted and expanded in the City of Philadelphia to reduce vehicle speeds, decrease the number of fatal and severe crashes, and meet Vision Goals. Topics will include the results of ASE on Roosevelt Boulevard, how legislation was used to expand ASE, the identification of priority corridors for ASE, speed studies for selected ASE corridors, coordination and approvals with PennDOT for ASE, and overall lessons learned.

Topic 1: Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) on Roosevelt Boulevard
Speaker: Kelley Yemen

Topic 2: Expansion of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE)
Speaker: Marco Gorini

Topic 3:  Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Coordination with PennDOT
Speaker: Sharang Malaviya