General Assembly nears introduction of work zone safety legislation

This week, the General Assembly is set to introduce legislation aimed at improving driver and worker safety in construction zones.

The bill would authorize automated speed enforcement in work zones on limited access state highways. Cameras would photograph license plates of vehicles that significantly exceed speed limits, and the vehicle owner would receive a violation notice. Areas of automated enforcement would be clearly marked.

In work zones, space restrictions make it difficult for police officers to monitor and enforce excessive speeding. In the last five years, there have been 10,586 crashes in Pennsylvania work zones, costing 128 lives. In 2013 alone, there were 1,800 crashes and 16 deaths.

Maryland’s automated enforcement program has proven to be successful. In its first two-and-a-half years, that state saw a reduction from about 7 percent to about 1 percent of drivers significantly exceeding the speed limit in work zones.

“While the industry certainly is concerned with worker safety, this initiative would have much a much broader positive effect,” said PHIA Managing Director Jason Wagner. “According to the Federal Highway Administration, 85 percent of the victims of work zone fatalities are drivers or passengers, not highway workers.”

PennDOT lets $242 million in April

PennDOT continued its strong, post-Act 89 momentum by letting over $242 million in projects during April, bringing the year-to-date total to just over $800 million. Last year, PennDOT ended the year with $2.6 billion in lettings, the highest since 2009 when the program was boosted by the one-time economic stimulus package. PennDOT exceeded its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion and it was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

At the end of 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.638 billion in lettings. Act 89 enabled PennDOT to put nearly a $1 billion more projects on the street in 2014 than it was able to do in 2013.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue well past 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding the $2 billion construction lettings mark for years to come.

As in year’s past, PHIA will continue to track contract lettings on a monthly basis.

To view the full April letting report and year comparisons, click the link below.

April Letting Report* (PDF)

*The report lists the total contracts awarded at each letting date, a comparison to the same period in the previous calendar year, and letting adjustments made since the previous month. PHIA staff will track PennDOT lettings throughout the year and provide monthly update.

PennDOT’s March Lettings Total $163 Million

PennDOT continued its strong, post-Act 89 momentum by letting over $163 million in projects let during March.  Last year, PennDOT ended the year with $2.6 billion in lettings, the highest since 2009 when the program was boosted by the one-time economic stimulus package.  PennDOT exceeded its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion and it was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

At the end of 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.638 billion in lettings. Act 89 enabled PennDOT to put nearly a $1 billion more projects on the street in 2014 than it was able to do in 2013.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue well past 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding the $2 billion construction lettings mark for years to come. Read more

Work Zone Awareness Week begins today

Today marks the beginning of National Work Zone Awareness Week, and PHIA – along with PennDOT and the construction industry – join again to urge the public to slow down and pay attention as the 2015 construction season begins.

While we are all thankful for the passage of Act 89, the transportation funding measure, it brought with it the challenge of an increasing number of work zones across the Commonwealth. That means more lane restrictions, more people working in them and more drivers traveling through them.

“Some people think work zone safety is only about the construction workers,” said PHIA Managing Director Jason Wagner. “They think that if workers are not present in work zones, speed limits aren’t as important, and distractions are less of an issue.”

However, he noted, according to the Federal Highway Administration drivers and passengers constitute 85 percent of the fatalities caused by accidents in work zones.

“Whether construction workers are present or not, lane restrictions create challenges to drivers,” Wagner said. “Drivers have less time to react, and less space for maneuvering. Slowing down and eliminating distractions reduces the margin for errors.”

Wagner joined Acting PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards and others in a news conference kicking off the awareness campaign. To read about the event, click here.

PennDOT lets $138 million in projects in February

PennDOT continued its strong, post-Act 89 momentum by letting over $138 million in projects let during February.  Last year, PennDOT ended the year with $2.6 billion in lettings, the highest since 2009 when the program was boosted by the one-time economic stimulus package.  PennDOT exceeded its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion and it was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

At the end of 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.638 billion in lettings. Act 89 enabled PennDOT to put nearly a $1 billion more projects on the street in 2014 than it was able to do in 2013.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue well past 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding the $2 billion construction lettings mark for years to come. Read more

Automated speed enforcement in work zones will save lives

Having taken a major step toward addressing Pennsylvania’s bridge and highway funding needs with the passage of Act 89, PHIA and the construction industry are turning their attention toward work zone safety.

The industry is lining up behind legislation that will provide for camera enforcement of speed limits in work zones. Five years of experience with such a system in Maryland proves that this approach is exceptionally effective.

It’s not just about construction workers. In four out of five work zone crashes, it’s motorists and passengers who are injured or killed, not construction workers.

In Maryland, the number of work zone speeding violations has dropped dramatically since the program began. Click below to view a short video, and check back at www.PaHighwayInfo.org for periodic updates.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/117849757[/vimeo]

PennDOT starts 2015 with $288 million in lettings

PennDOT continued its strong, post-Act 89 momentum by starting 2015 with over $288 million in projects let during January.  Last year, PennDOT ended the year with $2.6 billion in lettings, the highest since 2009 when the program was boosted by the one-time economic stimulus package.  PennDOT exceeded its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion and it was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

At the end of 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.638 billion in lettings. Act 89 enabled PennDOT to put nearly a $1 billion more projects on the street in 2014 than it was able to do in 2013.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue well past 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding the $2 billion construction lettings mark for years to come. Read more

PennDOT ends 2014 just shy of $2.6 billion in construction lettings

PennDOT ended 2014 with significantly higher lettings as a direct result of Act 89—Pennsylvania’s new transportation funding law. PennDOT let over $117 million in projects during December bring the year-end total to just shy of $2.6 billion. At the end of 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.638 billion in lettings. Act 89 enabled PennDOT to put nearly a $1 billion more projects on the street in 2014 than it was able to do in 2013.

PennDOT exceeded its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion and it was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue well past 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding the $2 billion construction lettings mark for years to come.

As in year’s past, PHIA will continue to track contract lettings on a monthly basis.

To view the full December letting report and year comparisons, click the link below.

December Letting Report* (PDF)

*The report lists the total contracts awarded at each letting date, a comparison to the same period in the previous calendar year, and letting adjustments made since the previous month. PHIA staff will track PennDOT lettings throughout the year and provide monthly update.

November lettings push yearly total to $2.4 billion

Act 89 continues to push construction lettings to significantly higher levels compared to last year. In November, PennDOT put out over $60 million in projects.  This now brings the year-to-date total to $2.46 billion. At this same point in 2013, PennDOT only bid $1.571 billion in lettings. PennDOT has already exceeding its initial 2014 estimate of $2.2 billion.   It was reported earlier that PennDOT’s 2015 anticipated lettings will again be $2.6 billion.

With the recent enactment of the transportation funding bill there is reason to see this trend continue in 2015. Act 89, which will implement a $2.3 billion comprehensive transportation funding plan over the next five years, will result in PennDOT exceeding $2 billion in construction lettings in 2015. PennDOT finished 2013 with $1.6 billion in lettings.

As in year’s past, PHIA will continue to track contract lettings on a monthly basis.

To view the full November letting report and year comparisons, click the link below.

November Letting Report* (PDF)

*The report lists the total contracts awarded at each letting date, a comparison to the same period in the previous calendar year, and letting adjustments made since the previous month. PHIA staff will track PennDOT lettings throughout the year and provide monthly update.

Lettings Expected to Remain Strong in 2015

At the annual meeting of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors (APC), PennDOT presented a recap of the 2014 highway construction program and made a projections for 2015. With a little over a month to go, PennDOT is expected to let approximately $2.6 billion in highway projects. The department has already eclipsed $2.4 billion as of Nov. 24. PennDOT anticipates maintaining its strong project output as a result of Act 89. They foreceasted 2015’s lettings to total at least $2.4 billion. The number could be pushed higher with project put out for bid via the Commonwealth’s Public-Private Partnership Law. While these numbers are projections, PennDOT has routinely met or exceeding these number in past year. To view the full 2015 construction forecast click HERE.