Pennsylvania to Launch Traffic Research Center
PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are partnering with Penn State University to launch a new research and training center focusing on transportation.
The project – Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation and Research Track, or PennStart – will focus on six areas: traffic incident management, tolling and intelligent transportation systems, work zones, commercial vehicles, transit vehicles and automated vehicles.
“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,” said the chairman of the turnpike commission, Leslie S. Richards, in a release.
Among the features of the planned center, currently in the site-planning phase, are training for tolling and signal equipment, safety certification programs, environments for testing traffic controls, and smart-truck parking areas.
“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 commission 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.”
PennStart was announced during the Pennsylvania Automated Vehicle Summit in Pittsburgh.
Pictured above: Rendering of the entrance to the research and training center.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
