Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing bridge deck repair work on the I-279 (Parkway North) bridge over Mt. Nebo Road in Ohio Township, Allegheny County will occur Monday through Friday nights, October 21-25 weather permitting.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing bridge inspection activities on Route 22 in Robinson Township, Allegheny County will occur Sunday, October 20 weather permitting.

(Carlisle, PA) On Tuesday, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike), launched a new, statewide training program to improve new driver safety and roadway worker protection. The launch took place at Carlisle High School to highlight teen driver safety during National Teen Driver Safety Week.

Pennsylvania’s New Driver Work Zone Safety Program is a training project that uses engaging videos, infographics, knowledge checks, and powerful testimonials to teach new drivers work zone laws, signage and key facts, in addition to offering real-life scenarios to enhance understanding. This new program launched during National Teen Driver Safety Week, an annual observance aimed at educating safe driving among teens, and all new drivers in the commonwealth.

“PennDOT wants you to be safe whether you’re working on our roadways or driving on them, and we take many precautions to keep work zones safe for everyone,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re always looking for ways to improve safety on our roadways, for drivers of all ages and experience levels. That’s why we were proud to partner with the PA Turnpike on this program.”

The free, 35-minute virtual course is currently available in English and Spanish via PennDOT’s website. The transportation agencies will also collaborate on hands-on training opportunities to supplement the course.

“We are thrilled to help launch this program, which furthers our commitment to safety – the driving force for everything we do here at the PA Turnpike,” said Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey. “Our roadway is only as safe as the drivers who use it and helping them understand the importance of slowing down and paying attention in work zones is critical.”

Last October, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation to require new drivers to pass a work zone safety course to get their licenses. After hearing about Oklahoma’s success, the PA Turnpike developed a playbook for introducing a similar program and has been working with PennDOT to make it a reality. The project was funded through  $50,000 from the Federal Highway Administration State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive Program.

“FHWA’s State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive Program is an important way we are helping states to advance innovative solutions to address their unique transportation needs,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White. “Improving work zone safety is a priority for FHWA and we are pleased to see Pennsylvania deploying federal funding to achieve this goal.”

In recent years, more than four out of every 10 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania involved deaths or injuries. There are more than 1,400 work zone crashes across Pennsylvania annually, with more than 600 resulting in injuries and 15 in death.

While the program is free and encouraged for all Pennsylvania residents, it is especially beneficial for new drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers aged 16-19 are nearly three times more likely to die in a crash than drivers aged 20 and up per mile driven.

“As Secretary of Education, I care deeply about the health and safety of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million learners both in and out of the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “Knowledge is power, and this practical, experiential learning opportunity will help new drivers keep themselves—and others—safe while they’re on the road.”

From 2019 to 2023, there were nearly 80,000 crashes involving at least one teen driver in Pennsylvania, resulting in 483 fatalities. Some key factors in crashes involving teen drivers in Pennsylvania include driver inexperience, driver distractions, driving too fast for conditions, and improper or careless turning. The risk of a crash involving any of these factors can be reduced through practice, limiting the number of passengers riding with a teen driver, obeying all rules of the road, and using common sense.

The joint training project extends PennDOT and the PA Turnpike’s collaboration on increased work zone safety awareness. Both organizations host work zone-related educational events throughout the year. This March, PennDOT and the PA Turnpike, in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police, started enforcement of the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program, which uses vehicle-mounted systems and electronic speed timing devices to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more.

For more information on the New Driver Work Zone Safety Program, please visit Young Driver (pa.gov).

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano, Published on October 25, 2024 at 9:17 A.M.)

(Hopewell, PA) Nicole E. Haney, Community Relations Coordinator reported on Thursday that Golf Course Road, located off of Mill Street is being taken over by the state because of an old storm. The report states that paving of Golf Course Road water features are being replaced by new ones near the road’s intersection with Beaver Lakes Boulevard. This has caused delays for residents going to and from their homes  or those going to the golf course.

(Pennsylvania) As people get ready to prepare mail-in ballots for the 2024 presidential election, some do not appear in good condition, however, a process can create a new one to be properly counted. This process is commonly referred to as “ballot duplication” which involves taking a damaged ballot that can’t be scanned by election machines and transcribing the votes onto a new, clean ballot that can be counted. The original ballot is preserved in this process. Ballot duplication can also be used if voters improperly marked their ballot, such as using the wrong type of writing tool. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, forty-two states, including Pennsylvania, use ballot duplication. 

Source for Photo: FILE – Chester County, Pa., election workers process mail-in and absentee ballots at West Chester University in West Chester, Pa., Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

(Harrisburg, PA) The administration of Governor Josh Shapiro has invested more than $3.2 million to help drug-related overdose prevention efforts in Pennsylvania. 

According to a release from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), the department announcemed on Tuesday investments of more than $3.2 million to combat the drug-related overdose epidemic through 13 organizations that will help residents connect with the care they need, such as receiving overdose prevention and reversal tools, treatment options, drug checking equipment, and educational services.  

The funding comes from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) via the Overdose Data to Action in States cooperative agreement to expand drug-related overdose surveillance and prevention efforts over five years. 

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pennsylvania Game Commission is reminding Pennsylvanians to watch out for deer when you are traveling on the road as the fall season begins. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, deer become more active in autumn, leading up to their fall breeding season or “rut,” and the Commision also notes that a recent report showed Pennsylvania led the country in animal collision insurance claims. 

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

Labor unions in the battleground state of Pennsylvania say they could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this year’s election. In 2023, the state had 749-thousand union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Anthony Ferriera, a retired federal worker and member of the American Federation of Government Employees, is among those mobilizing. He says he‘s walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and talking with voters in an effort to motivate them to go to the polls. 

Source for Photo: FILE – An early election ballot completion area is being prepared at a collection location at the North Park Ice Skating Rink Lodge area, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, in McCandless, Pa. Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to begin voting on legislation Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, to move up the state’s 2024 presidential primary date, although the dates under discussion may do little to give the state’s voters more say in deciding presidential nominees. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

(Monaca, PA) According to a release from Leslie Tennant, Associate Vice President of Communications for the Community College of Beaver County, the CCBC community celebrated the dedication of the Atwell Student Commons on Monday, October 14, 2024, in memory of Janet M. Atwell and her husband Curtis J. Atwell. Tennant also noted that a gift of $477,000 to date has been given to the CCBC Foundation through Mrs. Atwell’s estate, the largest unrestricted individual gift to that foundation. Tennant also stated that the CCBC Board of Trustees renamed CCBC’s Student Life area to the Atwell Student Commons on August 20, 2024 after Mrs. Atwell, both a Beaver County resident and a CCBC alumna.