Wolf Administration Previews 2018 Southeast Region Construction Season, Highlights 150 Projects

Wolf Administration Previews 2018 Southeast Region Construction Season,
Highlights 150 Projects

4/6/2018-PHILADELPHIA

Governor Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
Secretary Leslie S. Richards today highlighted transportation investments
as
PennDOT announced that roughly 155 highway and bridge projects are
anticipated
to begin or continue across the five-county Philadelphia region during this

construction season.

Richards also urged motorists to drive cautiously in work zones – for their

safety and that of workers – in observance of National Work Zone Awareness
Week
running April 9-13.

"We're improving mobility and economies across the state and I look forward
to
continuing these important investments in 2018," Governor Wolf said.

Complementing the significant projects in the southeast region, Governor
Wolf
recently reinforced the administration's commitment to rural roads with new

plans to improve more than 1,100 rural and low-volume roadway miles and
rehabilitate or replace at least 85 municipally owned bridges over five
years.

Today's announcement was made near the Interstate 95 Girard Avenue/Aramingo

Avenue Interchange project in Philadelphia where PennDOT has invested more
than
$500 million to
rebuild and improve 1.5 miles of the interstate between the Girard Avenue
and
Allegheny Avenue interchanges.

"The work that we and our municipal and private-sector partners are doing
for
Pennsylvanians is important for communities and businesses," Richards said.

"Motorists should use caution in work zones so we can get home each day
after
completing this critical work."

Across PennDOT Engineering District 6, spanning Bucks, Chester, Delaware,
Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, the department anticipates
rehabilitating, reconstructing and resurfacing more than 277 miles of state

highways and improving 41 bridges.

"The aggressive approach we take with our construction program in this
region
allows us to significantly reduce the backlog of our pavement and bridge
demands, and move critical projects forward to improve, strengthen and
secure
our vast transportation network," District 6 Executive Kenneth M. McClain
said.

Notable projects that will continue this year include:
• Interstate 95 pavement restoration in Bucks County ($29.6 million);
• U.S. 202 Bridges over Amtrak in Chester County ($26.4 million);
• U.S. 322 widening in Delaware County ($62.7 million);
• U.S. 422 Bridges in Montgomery County ($97.4 million); and
• I-95 Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Interchange improvement in Philadelphia
($81
million).

Notable projects that are expected to be begin this year include:

• U.S. 1 reconstruction in Bucks County ($90 million estimate);
• U.S. 30 ITS enhancement in Chester County ($7 million estimate);
• Route 252 bridge replacement over Crum Creek in Delaware County ($16
million
estimate);
• U.S. 202 widening and intersection improvements in Montgomery County ($58

million estimate); and
• I-95 South Reconstruction between Allegheny Avenue and Columbia Avenue in

Philadelphia ($311.5 million).

As construction projects are underway in the region, the traveling public
can
anticipate seeing many work zones and are urged to keep in mind their
safety
and the safety of highway workers. Preliminary statewide PennDOT data shows

that 19 people were killed in work-zone crashes in 2017, three more than in

2016. Additionally, there were 1,789 crashes in work zones last year, a
decrease from 2,077 crashes in 2016. Over the last five years, there was a
statewide average of 1,901 crashes and nearly 20 fatalities in work zones.

In addition to the crash data from police reports, PennDOT monitors
work-zone
safety with internal reports. In 2017, there were 95 intrusions in PennDOT
work
zones. Of those work-zone intrusions, 18 resulted in injures to PennDOT
employees, 53 caused damage to PennDOT fleet or equipment, and 35 did not
result in injury or damage.

As of March 9, there have been seven instances of vehicles intruding into
work
zones in 2018. One resulted in employee injury, four caused damage to
vehicles
or equipment, and two did not result in injury or damage. Since 1970, 88
PennDOT employees have lost their lives in the line of duty, the latest
being
Robert Gensimore, a Blair County foreman who was struck on February 17
while
placing flares to warn motorists of a crash.

More information on work-zone safety is available at
www.penndot.gov/safety.

For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those
made
possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act
89),
or those on the department's Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit
www.projects.penndot.gov.

A list of weekly road restrictions and PennDOT maintenance operations in
the
five-county Philadelphia region is available by visiting the District 6
Traffic
Bulletin at www.penndot.gov/District6.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov. Follow local PennDOT
information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly.

To view a complete list of District 6 News Releases: Click
http://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/allnews.aspx

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