Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today released its Focus on Innovations (FOI) publication that features the department’s work to identify and boost innovative projects improving safety, promoting efficiency, and saving money. Innovation plays a key role in getting things done for Pennsylvania travelers, building on the Governor’s commitment to ensure Pennsylvania remains a leader in delivering commonsense solutions to everyday issues.
“Meeting the needs of Pennsylvania’s vast transportation network requires unique solutions,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Across the Commonwealth, the PennDOT team is rolling out electric vehicle infrastructure, delivering projects faster, tackling congestion, and improving safety.”
Innovation at PennDOT is a holistic process, pulling unique ideas and best practices from throughout the department. Employee-driven innovation councils and committees, the State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC), the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) Program, and solutions identified and implemented by PennDOT employees, all work together to build better, more efficient, and more intuitive systems to serve all Pennsylvanians and those who travel throughout the Commonwealth.
Highlighted innovations include:
- The Lane Reservation (or LaneRez) initiative is maximizing safety and minimizing congestion with a system to catalog upcoming construction projects, identify conflicts and plan ahead for traffic mitigation.
- PennDOT’s digital transformation focuses on using paperless technologies to transform the project delivery process by providing project data at the fingertips of our employees and partners.
- The implementation of Environmental Product Declarations is allowing the department to utilize construction materials with lower greenhouse gas emissions.
- Amber and green vehicle lights, enabled by Act 78 of 2024, increase safety by making construction and maintenance operations more visible.
- PennDOT’s continued Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure buildout, powered by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, has helped expand EV-charging-station availability, making EVs more accessible to those who travel across the Commonwealth.
Now in its fourth year, the FOI publication – including an interactive innovation timeline – is available here.
