PennDOT, Pa. Turnpike, Penn State University to Collaborate On State-of-the-Art Safety, Training and Research Facility

PennDOT, Pa. Turnpike, Penn State University to Collaborate On
State-of-the-Art Safety, Training and Research Facility

4/10/2018-PITTSBURGH

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary and Pa. Turnpike
Commission
(PTC) Chair Leslie S. Richards today announced at the Pennsylvania
Automated
Vehicle Summit that the two agencies are partnering with Penn State
University
(Penn State) to commence site planning and design for the Pennsylvania
Safety,
Transportation and Research Track, or PennSTART -- a state-of-the-art
facility
envisioned to benefit emergency responders, transportation organizations
and
research institutions.

The aim of PennSTART is to address safety, training and research needs in
six
key areas: traffic incident management (TIM); tolling and intelligent
transportation systems (ITS) technology; work zones; commercial vehicles;
transit vehicles; and connected and automated vehicles. Information on the
facility, including a draft rendering and video simulation, is available at

www.PennSTART.org.

"As we make advancements in highway safety and transportation technologies,
we
need to be sure that our teams, researchers and students and
first-responder
partners have as much knowledge as possible about these tools as they
develop,"
Richards said. "PennSTART will provide Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic
region
with access to innovative technologies for testing and education purposes."

Examples of technologies for which safety and operational testing as well
as
training could be conducted at the facility include:

• TIM training;
• testing and hands-on training for new ITS, tolling and signal equipment;
• safe, simulated training for higher-speed and mobile work-zone
operations;
• safety certification training opportunities;
• simulated environments for temporary traffic control device testing and
evaluation;
• smart truck-parking applications and other opportunities for
commercial-vehicle technology partnerships; and
• controlled environments to test various connected and automated vehicle
technologies for transit buses, infrastructure equipment and other
applications.

"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," said PTC CEO Mark
P.
Compton. "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."

"Penn State is pleased to partner with PennDOT and the PTC to begin
exploring
potential sites and design specifications for this much needed facility,"
said
Penn State Vice President for Research Neil Sharkey. "As envisioned, the
PennSTART facility would provide a wonderful facility for teaching and
research
while ensuring the safety of our highway workers, improving traffic flow
and
advancing safe vehicle automation."

The need for better and collaborative TIM training, a joint operational
policy
and other recommendations were identified in a Traffic Incident Management
report by the Pennsylvania State Transportation Advisory Committee.
Additionally, 2018 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data shows that
more
than 54,000 emergency/incident responders in Pennsylvania need to be
trained on
Traffic Incident Management compared to roughly 9,000 who have been
trained.

A feasibility study reviewing a TIM training center was conducted by the
PTC
with funding assistance through the Pennsylvania State Transportation
Innovations Council, a collaboration among PennDOT, the PTC, FHWA, and
other
transportation stakeholders. More information on the council is available
at
www.penndot.gov/innovation. The feasibility study ultimately identified the

need for a safety, training and research facility and served as the pathway
for
the PennSTART partnership.

The PennSTART facility represents the next in a series of steps that
PennDOT,
the PTC and other partners have taken to improve TIM. In 2016, the agencies

held a TIM Summit with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency,
Pennsylvania State Police and participants from dozens of responder groups
to
discuss and establish policies and partnerships to improve TIM in
Pennsylvania.
As a result, the Pennsylvania Traffic Incident Management Enhancement
initiative was formed in 2017, and a joint operational policy outlining
training, technology, quick incident clearance principles and more was
developed.

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