On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) released a report illustrating how the department has cut through red tape over the past year.
The Focus on Innovations publication builds on the Governor’s commitment to ensuring the state is a leader in using commonsense solutions to address issues facing the state. The department said the innovations comes from every level.
“As technology and best practices change, we’re adapting to stay on the cutting edge of innovation in transportation,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “From the ingenuity of the DelCo recycled foamed-glass aggregate that was used to reopen I95 in 12 days to using paperless technologies to deliver on projects ahead of schedule, our team of dedicated public servants work every day to apply the ingenuity necessary to improve safety, save taxpayer dollars, and support Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges.”
The innovations include a recycled foamed-glass aggregate used to open a temporary roadway 12 days after a devastating bridge collapse last year; a Mentor-Protégé Program aimed at providing disadvantaged businesses with a pathway to succeed in the transportation industry; using paperless technology to transform PennDOT’s project delivery process; and piloting innovative winter maintenance tools to make roadways safer.
Other innovations include a Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions (TOPS), and EDC Round 6 (EDC-6) innovation that are more durable and cost-effective than traditional overlay methods, as well as a State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) innovation, Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) of Asphalt Flexible Pavements that will help minimize the transportation industry’s carbon footprint and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.