PennDot News

PennDOT Now Hiring for Winter Maintenance

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is seeking hardworking individuals to work from September 2022 through April 2023 in the Winter Maintenance Program! If you enjoy working in a fast-paced and dedicated environment on a seasonal basis, or with the potential for promotion into a permanent position, this is the job for you. Click here to apply today.

Watch this video to see how you can make a difference in the Winter Maintenance Program!

Starting hourly rates are:

• Transportation Equipment/CDL Operator;
• Diesel & Construction Equipment Mechanic;
• Auto Mechanic;
• Tradesman Helper;
• Welder;
• Radio Dispatcher;
• Custodial Worker; and
• Stock Clerk

PennDOT Enhances 511PA to Assist Travelers to Little League World Series

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) encourages motorists traveling to the Little League World Series in Williamsport to plan their trip using the real-time travel and alternate-route information available online at www.511PA.com/LLWS.

The page, hosted through the department’s www.511PA.com traveler information website, is dedicated to monitoring traffic conditions on the primary travel routes to the event. Travel times and alerts are provided for: Route 15 south to Route 220 to Market Street (from north); Route 15 north (from south); Interstate 80 east to Route 220 north to Market Street (from west); and I-80 west to Route 15 north (from east).

“511PA is a valuable tool to empower the public and minimize congestion,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “We encourage drivers to check 511PA before they leave so they can be aware of traffic conditions and adjust plans if necessary.”

The page includes the average travel time for the primary route as well as one or two alternate routes. Users can see incidents, construction, weather forecasts and alerts, traffic cameras, and traffic speeds on the map.

PennDOT’s Central Region Traffic Management Center (CRTMC) is also supporting the Little League World Series by posting real-time travel information on dynamic message signs and transmitting audio messages on highway advisory radio systems to assist travelers.

The public can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles in Pennsylvania by visiting www.511PA.com. The service, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

PennDOT Offers Drivers Facing Suspension Second Chance

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that select drivers facing a suspension due to accumulation of points on their driving records or for a conviction of excessive speeding now have a chance at redemption through successfully completing the newly-instituted Driver Improvement School (DIS) offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“This new training program offers people whose driving privileges are in jeopardy a chance to avoid losing their license,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “For many, losing the ability to legally operate a motor vehicle means not just a loss of mobility, but a loss of income and independence as well.”

As drivers are convicted of certain moving violations, points are assigned to their driving record. Once a driver’s record has been reduced below six points and for the second time, shows as many as six points or has a conviction for excessive speeding, that driver is required to attend a departmental hearing. At the departmental hearing, a driver meets with a Driver Safety Examiner (DSE) to review their driving record and discuss the driving habits that resulted in the hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, a determination will be made whether serving a 15-day suspension or attending PennDOT’s DIS would be most beneficial for the driver to assist in making better decisions while behind the wheel.

An individual who attends and successfully completes the DIS due to their record showing for the second time as many as six points, will have two points removed from their record and avoid a 15-day suspension. An individual who attends and successfully completes the DIS due to a conviction on excessive speeding will avoid having to serve a 15-day suspension. If an individual does not successfully complete the course or fails to attend, they will be required to serve a 60-day driver’s license suspension.

The DIS curriculum focuses on safety and addresses poor driver behaviors and judgment exhibited in “high risk” drivers. This six-hour course focuses on educating and assisting problematic drivers to identify why they engage in risky driving behavior and how to utilize strategies for behavior modification to assist in improving their driving habits to prevent future violations and crashes.

For more information, visit the Driver Improvement School page on the Driver and Vehicle Services website.

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State Transportation Commission Adopts Updated 12-Year Transportation Program

Pennsylvania’s State Transportation Commission (STC) today updated the 12-Year Program. The new plan anticipates $84 billion will be available over the next 12 years for improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads.

The 12-Year Program, or TYP, is a multimodal, fiscally constrained planning tool used to identify and prioritize Pennsylvania’s transportation projects and the funds needed to complete them. State law requires the STC to review and update the TYP every two years. No capital project can move forward unless it is included in the TYP.

The newly adopted program, which takes effect October 1, incorporates funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and anticipates the following funding availability in the first four years of the TYP from federal, state and local sources:

• $16 billion for state highway and bridge projects;
• $11.4 billion for public transit;
• $331 million for multimodal projects;
• $232 million for rail freight; and
• $168 million for aviation.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already made a noticeable impact on transportation projects in Pennsylvania across all modes,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “While additional investment in our large transportation network is certainly needed, PennDOT takes pride in being a responsible steward of federal, state and local dollars to help improve infrastructure across all modes.”

The TYP also highlights some of PennDOT’s major accomplishments over the past two years, ranging from the modernization of train stations to the implementation of innovative strategies and the latest technologies to enhance safety and efficiency across a wide range of operations.

Four Rural Planning Organizations, 19 Metropolitan Planning Organizations and one independent county partnered with PennDOT in the review and development of the update. Now that the STC has approved the update, it has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for review and approval. The Federal Highway Administration coordinates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review the plan’s conformity with air quality requirements.

Public input early in the 12-Year planning process played a key role in identifying investments in the various transportation modes.

The State Transportation Commission is chaired by the Secretary of PennDOT and consists of 10 appointed citizens as well as the majority and minority chairs of the state House and Senate Transportation committees.

For more information about the TYP, visit www.TalkPATransportation.com.