The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) are partnering with Penn State University to plan and design the Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART).
The facility will be used by research institutions, transportation organizations, and emergency responders. It will address research, training, and safety needs regarding connected and automated vehicles, transit vehicles, commercial vehicles, traffic incident management, work zones, and tolling and intelligent transportation systems technology.
“We as highway operators have a responsibility to adapt to growing traffic and emerging technology in a thoughtful way while also being mindful of the speed at which these changes are taking place in our industry,” PTC CEO Mark Compton said. “The testing and training that will be available at PennSTART will give the commonwealth a huge head-start on ensuring the continued safety of travelers and responders on our highways both today and well into the future.”
The Pennsylvania State Transportation Advisory Committee identified the areas where the state needs more traffic incident management training, and the Pennsylvania Traffic Incident Management Enhancement initiative was founded last year.
Of the more than 54,000 emergency/incident responders in the state who need training, only 9,000 have been trained, according to the Federal Highway Administration.