PennDOT Innovation and Technology Recognized by National Organization

PENNDOT INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has received national recognition for its use of innovation and technology in addressing such issues as land use, managing limited resources and facilities, and building partnerships.

PennDOT won 10 performance awards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The awards recognize PennDOT's delivery of services to various customers, including contractors and municipal transportation employees.

"This recognition by national transportation officials is evidence that we are successfully implementing new and innovative approaches to how government performs and how it serves its customers more efficiently," Governor Edward G. Rendell said.

"PennDOT has worked aggressively to use technology to enhance its management and effectiveness, particularly in creating the first of its kind electronic system to reduce processing and review time in executing construction contracts. This is just one example of the kind of leadership and innovation that is changing the way government performs."

Governor Rendell said PennDOT was recognized in part for how it has worked aggressively to better match scarce resources with pressing transportation needs in ways that fit the fabric of communities. Pennsylvania shares the President's Award for planning with New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). The award recognized the joint Task Force on Transportation and Land Use, which the two states created.

Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E., said, "We face a real challenge in matching transportation needs with available resources and at the same time keeping an eye on the impact on land use. It is gratifying to receive this national recognition for all the work we are doing to better manage resources, improve operations and serve statewide needs."

Earlier this year, PennDOT and NJDOT organized a Northeastern Land Use in Transportation Summit that drew leaders from eight other Northeastern and New England states, the District of Columbia, Quebec and the Federal Highway Administration.

AASHTO is the Washington, D.C.-based organization of the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico transportation departments.

During AASHTO's recent annual meeting in Nashville, PennDOT was also recognized for the following:

Gold Award Recipients:

* Facilities Management Advisory Committee, led by the Bureau of Office Services, for a management database. The team, with the help of Penn State's Facilities Engineering Institute, developed an electronic database and web-based application to evaluate and better manage buildings and supply stockpiles.
* Bureau of Planning and Research (BPR) for the development and delivery of a consolidated and multimodal transportation research program. Working with the Bureau of Public Transportation and the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association, BPR integrated transit research processes and projects with the other programs and services offered to all PennDOT organizations to support the Department's strategic agenda. Now, the PennDOT research program covers and supports the goals of all operational areas - highway construction, design, maintenance and operations; transit; rail; aviation; bicycle; and pedestrian.

Silver Award Recipients:

* Bureau of Planning and Research for working with Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Rural Planning Organizations to extend support services to rural counties. This effort extended the reach of PennDOT's Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), which trains more than 6,000 municipal employees each year in effective road safety, maintenance and management techniques.
* Bureau of Design for implementing the first electronic performance and payment bonds for construction contracts anywhere in the United States. By eliminating mailing times and reducing processing and review times, PennDOT reduced the time for executing construction contracts in its $1.3 billion a year construction program.
* Bureau of Aviation for forming a group of bureau staff, airports and engineering consultants to assist in the review of project requirements and to recommend ways to reduce cycles for the award of development grants.
* District 4, in northeastern Pennsylvania, for its Strategic Environmental Management Program (SEMP) to improve its environmental performance; increase operational efficiency; bolster internal and external customer relations; and enhance relations with local and state regulatory agencies. As a result, the team achieved nationally recognized ISO registration within two years of formation. The district used strategies and trained employees to improve environmental performance in winter services; in facility management; and in erosion and sedimentation controls.

Bronze Awards:

* District 1, in northwestern Pennsylvania, for its design team, which conducted public forums and generated tremendous community involvement in the redesign of West 38th Street near Glenwood Park. The redesign eliminated a long-standing traffic bottleneck and in a way that fit the fabric of the community.
* District 4 for its Mature Drivers Task Force, which is made up of volunteers from a wide cross-section of the community. The task force acts as a forum in addressing safety issues and concerns of older drivers. Its efforts center on helping mature drivers (55 years of age or older) maintain mobility and a feeling of safety while traveling on Pennsylvania highways. The task force continues to seek solutions to issues such as alternate transportation, signage, lighting, road surface design, among other concerns of older drivers.

Honorable Mention:

* District 4 for its Focus 81 Committee, an example of government and the community working together to improve transportation and the quality of life in a specific region. Organized by District 4 and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), a regional economic development agency, the Focus 81 Committee works on improving traffic flow and safety on the heavily traveled section of Interstate 81 in the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre/ Hazleton Area. Focus 81 has drafted short-, mid- and long-term plans to make Interstate 81 safer for drivers, to cut down on congestion and crashes, and to identify and secure funding for improvements on the Interstate 81 corridor in the region. The corridor is essential to regional interstate commerce, population movement and the overall economic vitality of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=446064