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September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
IN THIS ISSUE
Co-Sponsor Memos Bill Actions PA Bulletin Upcoming Events Session Schedule In the News
Co-Sponsor Memos
HCO3536 Petri, Scott Permits the use of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's existing rights-of-way as locations for pipelines.
Bill History: 09-12-16 H Filed
HCO3554 Cruz, Angel Provides individuals between 18 and 26 years of age who apply for a learner's permit or driver's license and are required to register for Selective Service the ability to consent to registration by checking a box.
Bill History: 09-15-16 H Filed
SCO1668 Hutchinson, Scott Provides for the penalties for driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
Bill History: 09-13-16 S Filed
Bill Actions
HB 2318 Greiner, Keith Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), in licensing of drivers, further providing for notice of acceptance of ARD; &, in driving after imbibing alcohol or utilizing drugs, for grading, penalties & prior offenses.
Bill History: 09-07-16 H Filed 09-09-16 H Introduced and referred to committee on House Transportation
HB 2344 Ortitay, Jason (F) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), in fees, further providing for certified copies of records; and, in miscellaneous provisions, further providing for reports by police.
Bill History: 09-15-16 H Filed
SB 1352 McGarrigle, Thomas (F) Amends the Act entitled "An act to establish a board of wardens for the Port of Philadelphia, & for the regulation of pilots & pilotage, & for other purposes," further providing for rates of pilotages, computation, & charges.
Bill History: 09-13-16 S Filed 09-13-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Consumer Protection & Prof. Licensure
SB 1353 McGarrigle, Thomas (F) Amends the act entitled "An act to establish a Board of Wardens for the port of Philadelphia, & for the regulation of pilots & pilotages, & for other purposes therein mentioned," further providing for fees.
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
Bill History: 09-13-16 S Filed 09-13-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Consumer Protection & Prof. Licensure
PA Bulletin
IRRC: NOTICE OF FILING OF FINAL RULEMAKINGS The Independent Regulatory Review Commission received the following regulation, scheduled to be considered at 10:00 a.m. on October 20, 2016, at 333 Market Street, Harrisburg. To obtain a copy of the regulation, contact the promulgating agency.
• Department of Transportation 18-461: Authorizing Appropriately Attired Persons to Direct, Control or Regulate Traffic
Upcoming Events
PA Turnpike Commission September 20, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., Turnpike Admin. Bldg, Large Board Room, 700 S. Eisenhower Blvd., 3rd Fl., Middletown Commission Meeting. For additional information: (717) 831-7333 House Judiciary September 20, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., Room 140 Main Capitol To consider: HB 1516 Farry, Frank Amends Title 18 re cruelty to animals Delaware River Port Authority/PATCO September 21, 2016 - 9:00 a.m., 11th Floor Board Room, One Port Center, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden NJ Board Meeting. For additional information: (856) 968-2253 House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Prepared. WEDNESDAY - 9/21/16, 9:15 a.m., Room 60, East Wing To consider: HB 2304 Sainato, Chris Amends Titles 51 (Military Affairs) & 75 (Vehicles), in Department of Military Affairs, for PA Veteran's Memorial Trust Fund; repealing provision relating to the PA Veteran's Memorial Fund Trust; &, in registration of vehicles. Department of Transportation September 21, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., PEMA Building, 1310 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC). For additional information: (717) 214-8685 House Commerce September 21, 2016 - Off the Floor, Room G-50, Irvis Office Building To consider: HB 2290 Miccarelli, Nick Amends Act re port of Philadelphia fees HB 2291 Miccarelli, Nick Amends Act re River Pilots rate increase Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) Board September 22, 2016 - 3:00 p.m., SEPTA Headquarters, 1234 Market Street, Mezzanine Level, Philadelphia Board Meeting. For additional information: (215) 580-7800 Pittsburgh Port Authority September 23, 2016 - 9:30 a.m., Neal N. Holmes Board Room, Pittsburgh Port Authority Building, 5th Floor, 345 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh Board Meeting. For additional information: (412) 566-5137
Session Schedule Senate September 26, 27, 28 October 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
November 16 House September 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 October 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 November 14, 15
In the News
09-15-2016 Gov. Wolf Announces Over $1.1 Million in Funding to Support Modifications to... (Press Release)
09-15-2016 PUC Encourages Thorough Study & Vigorous Public Discussion on Issues...
(Press Release) 09-15-2016 Gov. Wolf: GOTIME: PennDOT to Save More Than $28 Million with New Mobile...
(Press Release) 09-15-2016 PUC Issues Default Judgments Regarding Unpaid Assessments & Fines by...
(Press Release) 09-15-2016 Uber aims to build Pittsburgh workforce to test driverless technology
The automated teller machine to the banking industry. The bar code to the package distribution industry. The long-wall mining machine to the coal industry. Robot news-gatherers to journalism. Now that Uber’s driverless vehicles have hit the streets — with select riders in Pittsburgh among the first in the world to see the... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Transportation experts see no damage after Liberty Tunnel inspection
PennDOT closed one lane of the Liberty Tunnel Wednesday, but this time it wasn’t for construction. As part of a program for contractors and highway officials from more than a half dozen states, several private companies demonstrated equipment that can be used to assess the condition of a tunnel without causing damage. The... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Pittsburgh, schools, transit officials working to stem Downtown violence
The officials’ comments came after Pittsburgh Public Schools student Denzel Glover, 16, of Allentown, was arraigned on charges that he shot another teenager at the Wood Street T station Tuesday afternoon. The victim, Ricky Moultrie, 17, who is not a student, was listed in stable... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Weather could interfere with repairs to Liberty Bridge
PennDOT said Wednesday that work to assemble parts to repair the Liberty Bridge is proceeding as scheduled, but weekend weather could be a factor in whether the fire-damaged bridge can be reopened by Monday. District 11 executive Dan Cessna said crews also are building boxes for... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Floodgate-gate: Neglect of Washington Blvd. system defies logic
What was wrong with the warning lights and safety gates that failed to activate during the Aug. 28 flood on Washington Boulevard? Better to ask what wasn’t wrong with them. The problems included dead batteries, a blown surge protector and aging parts, but the most surprising finding in a... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 FedEx Ground shows off Butler County shipping hub
With yet another holiday shipping season on the horizon, FedEx Ground on Wednesday showed off its new 300,000-square-foot automated distribution center in Butler County to improve its package delivery business in the Pittsburgh region. During a rare downtime at the facility, the
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
Moon-based ground delivery... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 09-15-2016 All drivers should have to take a roadway refresher
Recently, I’ve witnessed the following driving and walking laws being broken. 1. Cars, trucks or buses that pull up too close to the vehicles in front of them at stop signs or red lights. 2. People who walk across the street when the traffic signal shows a hand,... -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Pittsburgh Public Schools revamps transportation plan to free up buses for elementary-
age students Older students will ride Port Authority buses to Pittsburgh Public Schools and younger students will ride school buses under a plan announced Wednesday by district Superintendent Anthony Hamlet. The district will issue Port Authority of Allegheny County bus passes to... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-15-2016 Pittsburgh Public Schools revamps transportation plan to free up buses for elementary-
age students Older students will ride Port Authority buses to Pittsburgh Public Schools and younger students will ride school buses under a plan announced Wednesday by district Superintendent Anthony Hamlet. The district will issue Port Authority of Allegheny County bus passes to... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-15-2016 Uber users can get a driverless car in Pittsburgh starting today
Uber's fleet of self-driving cars will be available to customers for the first time Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but not everyone will be able to hop in a driverless ride just yet. A select group of Uber users in the city will receive an email inviting them to participate in the autonomous driving program.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-15-2016 Commentary: Fee increase would fund Montco roads, bridges
By Valerie A. Arkoosh In our hyperpartisan times, there is one issue that just about everyone agrees upon: the need for government to invest in roads, bridges, and infrastructure. This is an urgent problem in Pennsylvania - in 2014, the commonwealth's bridges received a D-plus rating from the American Society... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-15-2016 It's time for towns with free State Police protection to pay up: Editorial
Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County sounds like a pretty great place to live. Hempfield, pop. 43,000, has an annual budget of $12.9 million. It maintains a tax rate of 3 mills. And residents, as The Tribune-Review reports, haven't seen an increase for more than 25 years.... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-15-2016 Lehigh Valley's highways require more lanes
Toward the end of the article in The Morning Call on "Inland Empire" was the note that the western Inland Empire was built on the needs of 28 million people living within 300 miles, and that 68 million people (more than twice that) live within 300 miles of the Lehigh Valley.... - Allentown Morning Call
09-15-2016 Uber riders in Pittsburgh get a taste of driverless future
PITTSBURGH Taylor Pollier got an offer from Uber he couldn't refuse — to be part of an experiment with a car of the future... - AP
09-15-2016 Clarence Bridge of Freedom honors veterans’ service
SNOW SHOE TOWNSHIP It’s a small bridge, a span that some might not even realize crosses the water as they drive along Clarence Road in Snow Shoe Township. But now there is a sign that doesn’t just bring the bridge to their attention. It also shines a spotlight on the people whom the bridge honors.... - State College Centre Daily Times
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-15-2016 Liam Migdail-Smith: Transportation plan crosses lines In the regional planning world, there's a lot of talk about invisible lines. There are lines noting the boundaries between local governments, counties and states. There are lines between regions that cooperatively plan land use, transportation and other matters. There are lines drawn by the U.S.... - Reading Eagle
09-15-2016 Sinnott to discuss EMTA charter at Wednesday news conference
Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott will address the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority's immediate future on Wednesday, the day that the transit agency's current operating charter expires. Sinnott's administration has scheduled a 10:30 a.m. news conference at Erie City Hall, 626 State St. The mayor will discuss "the ongoing operation of... - Erie Times-News
09-15-2016 Officials say diverging diamond traffic flowing well in South Strabane
The diverging diamond interchange on Route 19 (Washington Road) has been put into use, and officials say traffic is flowing better than expected. “From what I saw, everything is running pretty smooth,” Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of... - Washington Observer-Reporter
09-15-2016 Fly ash pits present unique challenge for Thruway
SHAMOKIN DAM – Two ash basins in Shamokin Dam filled with a by-product of burning coal for six decades is presenting a challenge for PennDOT officials designing the southern section of the $670 million Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway. While it’s no surprise to PennDOT that these two fly ash pits have... - Sunbury Daily Item
09-15-2016 All 3 partners on board for Oil Creek water trail
A proposed plan for a water trail on Oil Creek between Centerville and Oil City, which has been a little over a year in the making, was recently approved by both Crawford and Venango counties, as well as the Titusville Redevelopment Authority. The last partner’s approval was given on Tuesday night, during the... - Titusville Herald
09-15-2016 Lyft to Begin Operating in State College Area
On-demand transportation service Lyft will launch in the State College area beginning at noon today. The rideshare service allows users to request a ride and pay through the Lyft mobile app. Lyft requires that its drivers be at least 21 and have a U.S. driver's license for at least one year. Drivers undergo driving record... - State College News
09-15-2016 Water trail plan advances
Waterways enthusiasts will soon have a map and guide to 34 miles of scenic travel along the Oil Creek Water Trail. Venango County commissioners Timothy Brooks, Vincent Witherup and Albert "Chip" Abramovic signed a cooperation agreement Tuesday that includes Venango County, Crawford County and the Titusville Redevelopment Authority.... - Oil City Derrick
09-15-2016 What It Feels Like to Ride in a Self-Driving Uber
Mike Isaac If I felt unsafe as a passenger, I could also request that the driver take over the vehicle, or press a button on a screen facing the back seat that would end the ride. I also monitored the infrared environment the car had rendered from the screen, a 3-D world updating in real time, and took a... - New York Times
09-15-2016 Surprise! Metro is still dysfunctional.
IT’S EASY to get lost in Metro’s daily drumbeat of dysfunction amid the staggering inconveniences imposed on riders by SafeTrack, the transit system’s months-long maintenance surge. Even as workers scramble to play catch-up on a rail network badly degraded by years of neglect, there... - Washington Post
09-15-2016 Letter: Time to allow local police to use radar to slow speeders
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
To the Times: The events of early Tuesday morning on Route 1, aka Township Line Road, on the Havertown/Drexel Hill border have led me to become a crusader. The tragic crash that killed a kind neighbor this week has driven me to become a bulldog for change with an archaic set of laws that must be immediately... - Primos Delaware County Daily and Sunday Times
09-15-2016 Bieber to end local busing to Reading, Philadelphia
A local bus company is ending some service areas. Beginning on Oct. 2, Bieber Tourways, Kutztown, will no longer operate scheduled service from Pottsville and Schuylkill Haven to Reading and Philadelphia, according to an announcement on the company’s website at... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald
09-15-2016 Sellersville woman ordered to pay PECO for utility pole damaged in DUI
NORRISTOWN >> A Sellersville woman who admitted to driving under the influence of heroin and other drugs was given jail time and ordered to pay PECO for a utility pole that was damaged when she drive into it. Rebekah A. Urffer, 29, of the 200 block of Three Mile Run Road, pleaded... - Pottstown Mercury
09-15-2016 Uber/Lyft Philadelphia Authorization Unclear After September 30
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — State law allowing ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city of Philadelphia expires at the end of the month… and right now there’s no agreement on an extension. Uber and Lyft operate outside Philadelphia under the authority of the... - KYW News Radio 1060
09-15-2016 Don’t Plan On Driving While Wearing Your New AirPods
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — With the buzz surrounding Apple’s new AirPod wireless ear buds, it’s worth reminding drivers that it’s illegal in Pennsylvania to wear earphones while you’re behind the wheel. State law prohibits drivers from wearing earbuds while on the road, except... - KYW News Radio 1060
09-15-2016 Bringing A Car To College May Not Be A Good Idea For Philly Students
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — If you attend a Philadelphia college, you may want to think twice about bringing your car to campus. A new study published by personal finance company, Value Penguin, ranked Philly as the third worst college town to have a car in. Factors like weather conditions, insurance costs and parking expenses were... - KYW News Radio 1060
09-15-2016 Editorial: Fix parking in York City
Parking problems in downtown York are all in your head. That's the conclusion of an audit by Desman Design, a firm the city paid $85,000 to take a hard look at York City's parking situation and see where the troubles are. The report, based on use of the city's parking spots on two days in the... - York Dispatch
09-15-2016 Construction postponed until 2017 for Route 120 bridge project
CLEARFIELD — The Brusselles Street (Route 120) bridge in Elk County scheduled for replacement this summer as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, has been postponed. More information will be distributed prior to the start of construction in... - Bradford Era
09-15-2016 Passenger levels continue at steady pace at Bradford Airport
August was another great month for enplanements at Bradford Regional Airport, according to figures released Wednesday during the airport authority meeting. Airport Manager Alicia Dankesreiter said 440 passengers flew aboard Southern Air Express low-cost flights to Pittsburgh International Airport... - Bradford Era
09-15-2016 Pa. auditor general warns of turnpike woes
Just as we concluded earlier this year that the expected annual toll hikes for Pennsylvania
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
Turnpike users is not sustainable, the state’s Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has come out with an audit that agrees with us. DePasquale’s office released a pointed warning this week that if the... - Lehighton Times News
09-15-2016 Taking to the skies: CCTI technology lesson expands to drones
Carbon Career & Technical Institute has taken to the skies with a brand-new piece of technology — a top-of-the-line drone. “Drones, as we’ve seen over the last few years, have pretty much been the hot-trending technological item out there,” CCTI’s Director of Technology Nate Rinda said. “And as people get more... - Lehighton Times News
09-15-2016 PennDOT looks to save millions with mobile construction app
PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards said the department is looking to save millions in construction-related costs through the rollout of a new mobile construction application. At its core the application is a document warehouse — think Google docs for construction — which automatically saves and updates... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-15-2016 Speed limit raised for Lewistown Narrows on Routes 22/322
There's good news for travelers on Routes 22/322 between Harrisburg and Lewistown – the speed limit has been raised on the section known as the Lewistown Narrows in Mifflin County. The speed limit has been increased to 65 miles per hour from the existing 55 miles per hour from the Business 22 interchange east of Lewistown to the... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-15-2016 Feds reverse decision, award Harrisburg $1.65 million to fix sinkholes
HARRISBURG—After initially passing over Harrisburg's application, Federal Emergency Management officials have reversed their decision and granted $1.65 million to the city. The pre-disaster mitigation grant represents the first money that the city has locked down to address giant sinkholes that have devastated the 1400... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-15-2016 State PUC calls for discussion on self-driving vehicle regulations
On the heels of Uber beginning free rides in self-driving cars Wednesday, the state Public Utility Commission today called for “vigorous public discussion regarding the regulatory, legal and technical issues” on autonomous vehicles. The commission issued a statement in which it encouraged state and federal... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-15-2016 Uber won't need permit from PUC for self-driving cars until it starts charging
Uber can continue to offer rides in its fleet of self-driving cars in Pittsburgh without further permits as long as the trips remain free, according to a statement Thursday from the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission. The ride-sharing giant started offering rides in its self-driving Ford... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-15-2016 Lyft launches in State College
Lyft, the popular ride-hailing service, launched at noon on Thursday in State College. “Since its inception, Lyft has been committed to treating people better, and as a result, our drivers and passengers are incredibly welcoming and friendly,” a Lyft spokesperson said. “That’s why... - State College Centre Daily Times
09-14-2016 Pittsburgh Port Authority Performance Oversight Committee Agenda for 09/15/16
(Press Release) 09-14-2016 Fitch Rates $193MM PA Turnpike Comm Motor License Fund-Enhanced Bonds 'AA-'...
(Press Release) 09-14-2016 Greiner Introduces Legislation to Increase Penalties for Repeat DUI Offenders
(Press Release)
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-14-2016 Harkins transportation worker safety bill supported by unions (Press Release)
09-14-2016 SEPTA Receives Federal Grants to Advance Two Key Improvement Projects
(Press Release) 09-14-2016 Southeastern PA Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Board Agenda for Sept. 22, 2016
(Press Release) 09-14-2016 House Labor and Industry - PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
(Testimony) 09-14-2016 Uber rolling out self-driving vehicles to the public today
Uber today will begin offering Pittsburghers the first public rides in its self-driving vehicles. But not everyone will get the chance — just frequent customers beginning and ending their trips in a limited area Downtown and in the Strip District. Uber officials provided a press briefing and demonstration rides Monday and... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-14-2016 Next stop, Cuba: Direct flights from PIT to the island are welcome
Pittsburghers have worked hard to maintain connections with Cuba in the nearly 60 years since the U.S. government imposed an embargo on the island nation. Now that relations are thawing, it is good to see Pittsburgh International Airport in the first ranks of U.S. airports preparing to... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-14-2016 Uber users can get a driverless car in Pittsburgh starting today
Uber's fleet of self-driving cars will be available to customers for the first time Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but not everyone will be able to hop in a driverless ride just yet. A select group of Uber users in the city will receive an email inviting them to participate in the autonomous driving program.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-14-2016 Parts arrive at Pittsburgh's Liberty Bridge for fire repair
After listening to plenty of talk about traffic snarls caused by the Liberty Bridge's closure, Alan Tsang decided to see the culprit for himself. On Tuesday afternoon, he climbed to the top of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority's First Avenue garage. There, perched above the Monongahela... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-14-2016 Arnold Palmer Regional Airport Authority OKs $3M upgrade for runway
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport's 8,224-foot-long concrete runway will be strengthened with a layer of asphalt in a $3 million upgrade scheduled to start in September 2017. The work, which will require the runway to be shut down for few days, will be done when Spirit Airlines does not have scheduled flights, Gabriel... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-14-2016 Equity firm buys airline
A Philadelphia private equity firm, Versa Capital Management L.L.C., said Tuesday that it has acquired Silver Airways, a privately-held Florida airline. Financial terms were not disclosed. Silver Airways, based in Fort Lauderdale, has 125 daily flights to 26 destinations in Florida, the... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-14-2016 Pa's new DUI law a good tool to make sure first-time offenders don't become repeat
drunk drivers: Frank C. Sluzis By Frank C. Sluzis As Pennsylvania begins to modernize its Prohibition-era liquor laws, it is also serving up changes in the way it punishes some first-time DUI offenders. FRANK SLUZIS HEADSHOT ART.jpegFrank C. Sluzis (PennLive File) Under a bill Gov. Tom Wolf signed in May, Breathalyzer-enabled ignition... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-14-2016 Uber launches historic self-driving fleet in Pittsburgh Self-driving passenger vehicles have officially hit the road. Uber launched its trial fleet in Pittsburgh today, making the ride-hailing company the first to make self-driving cars available to the American public. Company officials say they are prepared for the endeavor, citing the data... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-14-2016 Make distracted driving penalties harsher
Latest reports have more accidents caused by people texting while driving than by drunk drivers. When are drivers who text going to be considered as dangerous as drunk drivers? Where is the legislation that makes the penalties as stiff as drunken driving charges?... - Allentown Morning Call
09-14-2016 Uber gives riders a preview of the driverless future
PITTSBURGH Uber riders in Pittsburgh can get a glimpse of the future by summoning a car capable of handling most of the tasks of driving on its own... - AP
09-14-2016 Scranton moving more federal funds to road paving
Scranton plans to divert $400,000 in federal funds earmarked for repairing a West Lackawanna Avenue bridge to paving roads. The bridge and its approaches that span from Seventh to Ninth avenues and go over a railroad have been deteriorating for years, but a fix remains... - Scranton Times
09-14-2016 Treatment facility owner submits bid for former juvenile detention center
WILKES-BARRE — On a hill above the county prison sits Luzerne County’s former juvenile detention center, a relic of the kids-for-cash scandal. The dilapidated building closed in 2002. County courts stopped sending juveniles there and began sending them to PA Child Care LLC in Pittston... - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice
09-14-2016 AAA: Average gas prices didn’t budge overnight, are down slightly from last week
Average gas prices didn’t budge overnight, but all are down slightly from last week. AAA Mid-Atlantic provided the following data for today’s average gas prices: • Wilkes-Barre area gas average at $2.34 today, unchanged overnight and down 2 cents in the last week.... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
09-14-2016 Driverless vehicles won't appeal to all motorists: Letters to the editor
There are circumstances, however, in which individuals may benefit in a positive way. There are those with an addiction to their hand-held devices, who jeopardize their own well-being as well as others they might encounter while sending and receiving text messages behind the wheel. All of those... - Erie Times-News
09-14-2016 Allegheny, Zipcar partner to offer car sharing
MEADVILLE — Allegheny College students, faculty and staff now have a new transportation option thanks to a partnership with Zipcar. The Meadville school and the car-sharing network announced Tuesday that two Zipcar vehicles will be available for Allegheny drivers age 18 and older... - Erie Times-News
09-14-2016 How window repairs may delay your commute in Bethlehem
Months after window glass and debris fell from the shuttered Steel General Office building in South Bethlehem, work is finally underway to replace the windows. Steel General Office building Sept. 14, 2016Crews are replacing about 1,200 windows at the Steel General Office building on Third Street in South... - Easton Express-Times
09-14-2016 Tree grant gets initial OK; RR crossing upgrade update is offered
September 14, 2016 A state grant meant to bring more trees into the city for volunteers and city officials to plant next Arbor Day that doesn’t cost taxpayer dollars may be applied for by the city
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
administration shoul... more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette 09-14-2016 Four companies currently competing for CSVT contract
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has received four bids so far from private companies after opening bids for its second Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project contract last Friday, said community relations coordinator Dave Thompson. He said PennDOT plans to review the bids and decide which companies... - Sunbury Daily Item
09-14-2016 Southern Airways CEO looks to ‘put people back in airplanes’
The head of Johnstown’s new commuter airline says he doesn’t see any reason why the local airport can’t return to its glory days. “It is great to hear that there used to be 15,000, 20,000 or 25,000 people a year coming through this airport,” Stan Little, chairman and... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
09-14-2016 Local officials not panicking as Smock Bridge rehab project is behind schedule
It’s beginning to seem as if bridges that connect Meadville and Vernon Township are doomed to delays when they need rehabilitation or replacement. Just four months after a ribbon cutting ceremony marked an end to the nine-year process of replacing the Mead Avenue Bridge, a PennDOT... - Meadville Tribune
09-14-2016 Allegheny College partners will car sharing network Zipcar
Allegheny College has launched a new partnership with Zipcar, a leading car sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car sharing program on campus. The transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for students, faculty and staff ages 18 and older.... - Meadville Tribune
09-14-2016 Our Reporter Goes for a Spin in a Self-Driving Uber Car
To catch up, Uber spent $680 million — roughly 1 percent of the company’s value — to buy Otto and its team of robotics veterans. Based in San Francisco, Uber has also poured millions of dollars into hiring hundreds of employees and spent more than 18 months getting the... - New York Times
09-14-2016 How Did G.M. Create Tesla’s Dream Car First?
But few industry analysts think Tesla will meet its production goals, and the very fact that there is a waiting list highlights its fundamental hardship. Tesla paved the way for the broad acceptability of electrics, but the Model 3 is, at this point, merely a concept car. G.M.’s Bolt goes... - New York Times
09-14-2016 Metro-North Getting Bar Cars Again, but Don’t Expect a Seat
To the list of famous things that have been discontinued only to be resurrected later — Marvel Comics, the Muppets and Twinkies, to name but three — add bar cars on the Metro-North Railroad. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut announced plans on Tuesday to buy 60... - New York Times
09-14-2016 What it’s actually like to ride in Uber’s self-driving car, which goes public today
PITTSBURGH — An hour before dawn today, Uber hit the green light on a project that many here have seen, but never experienced. Until now. Some of Uber's heaviest users will wake up to an email Wednesday inviting them to test out the company's new self-driving cars, the centerpiece of a... - Washington Post
09-14-2016 Bridge work under way
Work on the $23.7 million Hunter Station Bridge replacement project at Tionesta is getting started. The existing structure, which carries Route 62 over the Allegheny River, has been classified as structurally deficient. A new bridge will be built about 100 feet upstream from the current bridge with a target completion... - Oil City Derrick
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-14-2016 Commissioners report that bridge is open
The Somerset County Commissioners report that the Gardner Bridge, which carries Jimtown Road over Laurel Hill Creek in Jefferson Township, has been reopened. The bridge has been closed for repairs since June 30. The county's maintenance crew completed the work.... - Somerset Daily
09-14-2016 Road Work on 322 May Impact Football Traffic
Drivers traveling to State College from the east on Route 322 before Saturday's Temple vs. Penn State game may encounter slow traffic near Seven Mountains in Spring Mills on their way and again on their way back afterward. Through the rest of September, motorists will encounter lane closures on... - State College News
09-14-2016 Sellersville woman ordered to pay PECO for utility pole damaged in DUI
NORRISTOWN >> A Sellersville woman who admitted to driving under the influence of heroin and other drugs was given jail time and ordered to pay PECO for a utility pole that was damaged when she drive into it. Rebekah A. Urffer, 29, of the 200 block of Three Mile Run Road, pleaded... - Lansdale Reporter
09-14-2016 Our Readers Say... Government does work if you let it
Government does work if you let it At a time when there is a rising tide of cynicism about government, we must remember that there are many competent and professional people in public service. The township of Upper Merion and PennDOT have some great people. Here is one story about them.... - Norristown Times Herald
09-14-2016 Higher tolls will lead to early exit
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has warned the state Turnpike Commission and the Legislature of what they apparently had not considered. The commission’s plan to exponentially increase tolls by 6 percent a year through 2044 is unsustainable, DePasquale said in an audit released... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald
09-14-2016 GUEST OPINION: Rails to trails are a recreational opportunity for all ages
Communities change over time. I grew up going to the Churchville Nature Center every Sunday with my father, and on our way home we would stop at the Churchville Train Station. Sometimes the train conductor would let my brother and I board the train in Holland; while my Dad raced down Elm... - Levittown Bucks County Courier Times
09-14-2016 Twp. takes heat over bridge restriction
CANAAN TWP. - Davis Road residents criticized township supervisors Wednesday night regarding the recent three-ton weight restriction placed on a bridge that gives the residents their only access to Route 6. “I'm sorry it came to a crisis. I know it had everyone upset.... - Honesdale Wayne Independent
09-14-2016 Pa. auditor general warns of turnpike woes
Just as we concluded earlier this year that the expected annual toll hikes for Pennsylvania Turnpike users is not sustainable, the state’s Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has come out with an audit that agrees with us. DePasquale’s office released a pointed warning this week that if the... - Lehighton Times News
09-14-2016 Construction leads to D&L trail closures
The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor announces the following trail closures due to construction for the Carbon County Connectivity Project. For everyone’s safety, the D&L asks that all trail users observe all trail closed signs and barriers. • The D&L Marvin Gardens Trailhead, East Penn Township will be closed.... - Lehighton Times News
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-14-2016 Second phase of 322 project is underway September 14, 2016 STATE COLLEGE — Phase Two of the three-phase Potters Mills Gap project got underway recently in Centre County. more »» - Lewistown Sentinel
09-14-2016 Rabbit Transit moves to new facility
York County's primary public transportation provider officially has a new home in West Manchester Township. Rabbit Transit has fully moved its central operations out of York City, at 1230 Roosevelt Ave., and into a former Pfaltzgraff distribution center, at 415 Zarfoss Drive, according to a company news release.... - York Dispatch
09-14-2016 DUI checkpoints set for this weekend in York, Adams counties
People driving through York or Adams counties this weekend could find themselves being asked to walk the line. The Center for Traffic Safety will hold sobriety checkpoints in both counties sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and Sunday, according to a center news release from Director Barbara Zortman.... - York Dispatch
09-14-2016 Airlines offer up to $38.50-an-hour pay to lure new pilots
With a pilot shortage looming for U.S. airlines, two subsidiaries of American Airlines announced Wednesday that they will increase the starting pay for new pilots to $58,000 or more. Wages for newly minted pilots at PSA Airlines in Dayton, Ohio, will increase from $24.62 to $38.50 an hour. PSA will continue to offer new... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-14-2016 Uber users can get a driverless car in Pittsburgh starting today
Uber's fleet of self-driving cars will be available to customers for the first time Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but not everyone will be able to hop in a driverless ride just yet. A select group of Uber users in the city will receive an email inviting them to participate in the autonomous driving program.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-13-2016 Harper Hosts Hearing About Drugged Driving, Impact of Medical Marijuana
(Press Release) 09-13-2016 Initial inspection finds many problems with Washington Blvd. floodgates
Washington Boulevard’s broken floodgate system, meant to keep people from drowning in their vehicles during torrential downpours that occasionally flood the heavily traveled road in Pittsburgh’s East End, operates with six warning signals, three gates and two sensors.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-13-2016 Transit workers vote down proposed contract
Transit employees have rejected a proposed contract recently brokered by union negotiators and the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Members of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents more than 2,200 Port Authority bus and light-rail operators, maintenance and... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-13-2016 Crews expected to begin Liberty Bridge repairs
All fabricated steel parts needed to repair the fire-damaged Liberty Bridge should arrive by today and crews will be in “full assembly mode” until the job is done, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said Monday. The bridge has been closed since Sept. 2 after a fire bent a key, 30-foot... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-13-2016 Transit workers vote down proposed contract
Transit employees have rejected a proposed contract recently brokered by union negotiators and the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Members of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents more than 2,200 Port Authority bus and light-rail operators, maintenance and... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-13-2016 Transit workers vote down proposed contract Transit employees have rejected a proposed contract recently brokered by union negotiators and the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Members of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents more than 2,200 Port Authority bus and light-rail operators, maintenance and... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-13-2016 Affidavit shows Lyft provided 80,000 rides without authority
Lyft provided more than 80,000 rides in Pennsylvania during the six months in 2014 that it was found having been operating without state authority, according to a recently unsealed affidavit. And the new information showed that, the more the Pennsylvania Public... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-13-2016 Washington Blvd. floodgate warning system needs repairs; cost TBD
Switches controlling Pittsburgh's floodgate warning system on Washington Boulevard were turned off and several pieces of equipment need to be replaced, according to a memo Mayor Bill Peduto's office released Monday. The gates — installed after four motorists caught in a flash flood on... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-13-2016 Corps of Engineers complets study that calls for replacing aging locks, dams on Upper
Ohio The Army Corps of Engineers on Monday signed off on a study that calls for replacing aging locks and dams on the Upper Ohio River at a cost of more than $2.5 billion. Federal lawmakers had been calling for completion of the study, which had been under way for more than 13 years at a cost $17 million.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-13-2016 'Hurricane' Schwartz: Atomic Bomb or 'Rain Bomb'?
UNITED AIRLINES-TAKING SCIENCE BACK TO DARK AGES! (I’m not making this stuff up. I wouldn’t even joke about something this absurd) The CEO of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, was quoted last week: “…we should definitely be prepped. A very quick example:... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-13-2016 Tiny hardware flaw holds up SEPTA's train car repairs
The heads of pins that are 1/32nd of an inch too wide are the latest setback in SEPTA’s efforts to return 120 of its rail fleet to service, rail officials said Monday. Replacement parts should start being installed by Thursday, SEPTA authorities said, but it’s another manufacturing problem that’s hit... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-13-2016 Train blocks some runners at Via Marathon
LEHIGH VALLEY — Marathon runners often train for months leading up to each 26.2-mile race. But few if any expect to get cut off by a train during the race. That's exactly what happened to an unknown number of participants in the Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon just before 8 a.m. Sunday, when a... - Allentown Morning Call
09-13-2016 Toll equipment work will slow Turnpike traffic in Montgomery County
Harrisburg, PA Work on the toll equipment at Exit 20 on Interstate 276 will slow traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Mid-County Interchange, the Pennsylvania Turnpike said in a statement Monday. The lanes affected are those that allow E-ZPass customers to travel through... - Reading Eagle
09-13-2016 County makes its own demands in EMTA lawsuit
Erie County government wants a judge to either compel the city of Erie's cooperation regarding a renewed operating charter for the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, or force EMTA to turn over its assets to the county. Lawyers representing the county made those requests recently in a written... - Erie Times-News
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-13-2016 Weekend DUI checkpoints planned for York, Adams counties The checkpoints will be held sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Sunday. Police in York and Adams counties plan on conducting DUI checkpoints during the upcoming weekend, according to the Center for Traffic Safety. The sobriety checkpoints will be held sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday and... - York Daily
09-13-2016 Weekend DUI checkpoints planned for York, Adams counties
Police in York and Adams counties plan on conducting DUI checkpoints during the upcoming weekend, according to the Center for Traffic Safety. The sobriety checkpoints will be held sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Sunday. THE YORK DAILY RECORD 11 arrested during DUI checkpoint in North York... - York Daily
09-13-2016 PennDOT opens bids for second CSVT contract
MONTOURSVILLE — PennDOT opened bids for the second contract for the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project on Friday. - Shamokin News-Item
09-13-2016 Bids in, contract out soon for next phase of Thruway
Work on the next phase of the Northern portion of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway project — a section that will include the interchange at Ridge Road — will commence this fall after due diligence is performed on the low-bidder on the second construction contract, said a Pennsylvania... - Sunbury Daily Item
09-13-2016 Motorcycle ride carries timeless messages with it
September 13, 2016 The 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride is more than just thousands of rumbling, motorized machines. Make no mistake, the rolling memorial that started in Montgomery at 3 p.m. more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette
09-13-2016 Ford’s Driverless Car Plan: Embrace Tech and Go Slow
DEARBORN, Mich. — Raj Nair, the development chief leading Ford Motor’s effort to build self-driving cars, concedes that he does not know what caused the fatal May accident in which the driver of a Tesla Model S sedan, operating in Autopilot mode, crashed into a tractor-trailer... - New York Times
09-13-2016 For some safety experts, Uber’s self-driving taxi test isn’t something to hail
SAN FRANCISCO — Uber’s decision to bring self-driving taxis to the streets of Pittsburgh this week is raising alarms among a swath of safety experts who say that the technology is not nearly ready for prime time. The unprecedented experiment will launch even though Pennsylvania has yet... - Washington Post
09-13-2016 Ford reveals self-driving cars; politeness may be a problem
Of all the possibilities that might give pause concerning self-driving cars, here’s one you might not have considered: politeness. At its test center in Dearborn, Mich. Monday, experimental white Ford Fusion sedans, their roofs bristling with sensors, drove themselves down... - Los Angeles Times
09-13-2016 PennDOT expands Paint the Plow program
As winter weather approaches, PennDOT has announced an expansion of its Paint the Plow program for District 9 school districts in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon and Somerset counties. The project, which allows students to decorate PennDOT plow blades while... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
09-13-2016 State police to offer free checks on child seats
In conjunction with National Child Passenger Safety Week, Pennsylvania State Police are continuing their effort to reduce the number of improperly installed child safety seats by offering free safety seat checks. State police in Clarion will conduct checks at from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
Sunday... - Oil City Derrick 09-13-2016 Part of Route 372 closed for second part of bridge replacement project
Work on the second part of a $1.35 million bridge replacement project in Sadsbury Township began Monday, the state Department of Transportation said. Route 372 will be closed until October between Georgetown and Christiana in eastern Lancaster County. The bridge is located east of Gap Road.... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
09-13-2016 SEPTA sidelining 18 Silverliner V train cars for minor design modifications
SEPTA is temporarily sidelining 18 cars used for its Regional Rail service to make minor changes to some beam supports on the train cars, transportation agency officials said in a news release Monday. The sidelined cars were among the 120 Silverliner V rail cars taken out of... - Levittown Intelligencer
09-13-2016 Twp. takes heat over bridge restriction
CANAAN TWP. - Davis Road residents criticized township supervisors Wednesday night regarding the recent three-ton weight restriction placed on a bridge that gives the residents their only access to Route 6. “I'm sorry it came to a crisis. I know it had everyone upset.... - Honesdale Wayne Independent
09-13-2016 Sign unveiled to honor life of Perry County veteran
State Sen. Rob Teplitz, along with members of the military, veterans groups and friends and loved ones of local veteran Lou De Lancey gathered at Veterans Memorial Park in Newport Monday to honor his life and service and unveil a memorial highway sign in his name.... - Carlisle Sentinel
09-13-2016 Airport asks to add service to Baltimore
September 13, 2016 MARTINSBURG — The Altoona-Blair County Airport Authority approved a plan Monday to shift two daily round trips each day to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, adding another hub to the... more »» - Altoona Mirror
09-13-2016 Township convention Sept 15
Township convention Sept. 15 KNOX Officials representing townships of the second class in Clarion County will convene, Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Knox Fire Hall, Knox, for their 96th annual county convention. The purpose of the annual convention is to provide township officials with... - Clarion News
09-13-2016 Pittsburgh-area transit authority union rejects contract
PITTSBURGH The union representing 2,200 bus and light-rail drivers and other employees of the Pittsburgh area's transit agency has voted to reject a proposed four-year contract. The Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 announced the tentative deal last week, but said details would not... - AP
09-13-2016 Pittsburgh bus and rail workers reject contract
ATU Local 85 members rejected a tentative Port Authority of Allegheny County labor agreement. President Steve Palonis declined to comment Tuesday morning. He said the vote didn't conclude until “late Monday night” and said he wanted to speak with union leaders and members.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-13-2016 Bids opened for more work on Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway upstate
MONTOURSVILLE — Bids have been opened for more work on the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway, designed to get thru-Routes 11 and 15 traffic out of Hummels Wharf, Shamokin Dam, Northumberland and Lewisburg. Trumbull Corp. of Pittsburgh submitted the unofficial low bid of $61... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-13-2016 Repair parts arriving today at Pittsburgh's Liberty Bridge Repair parts are arriving at Pittsburgh's Liberty Bridge today as PennDOT prepares to fix the Monongahela River crossing that's been closed since a Sept. 2 fire. PennDOT officials on Tuesday morning said they don't have a schedule yet for when replacement bridge parts will start going into place, but they... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-12-2016 Stateline Daily: Express Lanes Have a Popularity Problem
(Press Release) 09-12-2016 TRAFFIC: Liberty Bridge reopening delayed; detours remain in place
The Liberty Bridge reopening has been pushed back to at least Sept. 19, and commuters still need to find detours to get around the span. The bridge has been closed since a fire Sept. 2 damaged a 30-foot-long steel beam. Main alternate routes: ? Parkway West’s Banksville Road exit and Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-12-2016 Workzone: Don't burn bridges with resignation letter
It’s not uncommon for people to leave a job on bad terms — sometimes involuntarily as in being fired, or voluntarily after a disagreement or maybe witnessing something ethically improper. Still others may resign because they feel the ax is coming and want to get out first.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-12-2016 How the Apple iCar could rock the automotive industry
Billions of dollars in research, more than 1,000 developers, mysterious workshops — the Apple iCar is set to revolutionize transportation, bringing with it technologies that promise to alter the way cars have been used and perceived. Behind the pre-fabricated aluminium facade of a building on an industrial... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-12-2016 15 years after 9/11, a pilot's widow still seeks aviation security
Ellen Saracini, like many Americans, spent Sunday reliving and remembering Sept. 11, 2001. On Monday, she will get back to work on making sure something like that never happens again. Saracini is the widow of Victor Saracini, the captain of United Flight 175,... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-12-2016 Inquirer Editorial: Highway to hell: Debt and rising tolls are killing the Pennsylvania
Turnpike Commission Like death and taxes, there are two guarantees when it comes to driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: potholes and toll increases. But despite nine years of annual toll hikes, the Turnpike Commission's finances have crumbled worse than the 360-mile road. In fact, the... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-12-2016 Route 222 roundabout work finally begins in Berks County
Richmond Township, PA After more than a decade of studies and planning and meetings, dirt is set to start moving on the northern stretch of Route 222. And it's not likely to stop moving - at least for any extended period of time - for at least another decade.... -Reading Eagle
09-12-2016 ‘Dangerous corridor’ on 83: Why so many crashes?
Vehicles have crashed seven times in the Exit 10/Loganville area, resulting in road closures and some injuries, since December. Vanessa Dolan travels Interstate 83 daily to Baltimore, and the truck driver has taken notice of a spate of crashes between the Loganville and... - York Daily
09-12-2016 Pick-pocketing Pennsylvania drivers
Commonwealth officials would be wise to review a recent court ruling in New York state, which could have implications across the border with Pennsylvania’s Turnpike system and its tolls. Last month, a federal court ruled the New York Thruway Authority cannot use... - Sunbury Daily Item
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-12-2016 Security measures remain annoying but accepted
HERMITAGE – In the 15 years since terrorists hijacked airplanes and killed thousands on Sept. 11, 2001, travelers have come to accept the necessary annoyances of security screenings, packing restrictions and increased fees as routine, according to Debbie Garnack, a longtime travel... - Sharon Herald
09-12-2016 Elon Musk Says Pending Tesla Updates Could Have Prevented Fatal Crash
Tesla Motors is readying improvements to its Autopilot technology that might have prevented an accident in May that took the life of an Ohio man, Tesla’s chief executive said on Sunday. The man was killed when his Model S car driving in Autopilot crashed into a tractor-trailer.... - New York Times
09-12-2016 Pearson Park: Walking and running the trails have many benefits
Sometimes, there's nothing much better than a brisk walk through the woods. And you don't have to go far to do that. For years, people have been taking advantage of the woodsy paths at Pearson Parks where you can leave the sounds of the highway behind you for awhile.... - New Castle News
09-12-2016 Post-9/11 changes still impact county's airport
It didn't start with Sept. 11, 2001, and it hasn't ended there. But events of that fateful day in U.S. history have forever changed security procedures in many places in the United States, including in Lawrence County. The most significant changes locally have come about at the New Castle... - New Castle News
09-12-2016 ‘A pilgrimage route’: 9/11 bike trail segment opens
With the official opening of a new 21-mile segment of the September 11th National Memorial Trail, a network of bike trails now connects all three 9/ 11 memorials – in Somerset County, New York City and Arlington, Virginia. The September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance officially opened the... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
09-12-2016 Assistant consultant brought on for terminal project
September 10, 2016 The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority voted unanimously to approve a letter of agreement with CDI Infrastructure LLC, or LR Kimball, for consulting assistance with the new passenger termin. more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette
09-12-2016 Car Seat Safety a Priority for New Parents
By Dr. Kristie Kaufman Having a baby is an incredible experience, but you’ll find there are many new decisions you must make as a parent. One of those important decisions is the type of car seat you’ll use for your little one. The type of car seat you choose should be based on your child’s age and... - State College News
09-12-2016 Officials touch upon round-about option in city
Should a round-about be constructed in Titusville? The topic of the potential for a round-about was briefly discussed during the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee meeting on Thursday. Committee members had inquired about having a street light installed at the... - Titusville Herald
09-12-2016 Repaired SEPTA Rail Cars Pulled In Philadelphia Over New Defect
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia-area’s main transit agency has pulled its repaired rail cars from service after discovering a new problem... - AP
09-12-2016 Services for low-income residents on the rise
LOCK HAVEN - A popular and at times free transportation service for low-income residents of Clinton County will continue next year -and might even expand - as demand has increased
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
significantly. In fact, ridership on STEP Inc. vans for medical assistance and other... - Lock Haven Express
09-12-2016 Taking a toll
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has warned the state Turnpike Commission and the Legislature of what they apparently had not considered. The commission’s plan to exponentially increase tolls by 6 percent a year through 2044 is unsustainable, DePasquale said in an audit released... - Hazleton Standard-Speaker
09-12-2016 Amtran gets $864K grant from FTA
Amtran has received an $864,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration, which in tandem with a new tentative commitment for additional funding from PennDOT should allow Amtran to buy six new compressed natural gas buses. - Altoona Mirror
09-11-2016 Charter service to Cuba planned from Pittsburgh International Airport
As little as a year ago, a nonstop flight to Cuba from Pittsburgh would have been the stuff of pipe dreams. Now it may be just months away from happening. Miami-based Choice Aire intends to begin twice-weekly charter service to Cuba from Pittsburgh International Airport later this year. Officials with... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-11-2016 PennDOT delays reopening Liberty Bridge until at least Sept. 19
Due to a delay in fabricating parts to repair fire damage, the Liberty Bridge’s reopening has been pushed back a week, from Monday until at least Sept. 19. PennDOT district executive Dan Cessna said Friday that he was disappointed when contractor Joseph B. Fay Co. told him the emergency repair work... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-11-2016 Port Authority buses running late throughout city
Port Authority buses caught in rush hour traffic in Downtown, Oakland and the North Shore this afternoon are running a hour or more behind schedule, officials said. Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph attributed the delay to the closure of the Liberty Bridge, the influx of people in town for the Pitt-Penn State... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-11-2016 With new trail, Flight 93 memorial a pilgrimage site for bicyclists
The aesthetics needed no ceremony. The new path led from a open meadow — a reclaimed strip mine — in Somerset County domed by a soft blue sky, weaving through groves of freshly planted maple and white oak saplings and spanning over a wetland on a plank bridge. Though pushing 80 degrees by noon, the early signs of autumn were... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-11-2016 Pittsburgh International Airport authority OKs $1.5M for modernization
Allegheny County Airport Authority board members approved a $1.5 million contract extension for a firm tasked with helping the authority modernize Pittsburgh International Airport's terminal. Board members during a meeting Friday also extended the authority's... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-11-2016 Towns dependent on state police should pay up, critics argue
Municipalities that don't fund their own police agencies could be asked to help foot the bill for Pennsylvania State Police as officials look to wean the agency off the Motor License Fund. About 1,700 Pennsylvania municipalities rely on state police for either... -Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-11-2016 State police funding gap handcuffs infrastructure
Money from increased fees and gas taxes that drivers have been paying since 2013 on the promise to fix Pennsylvania's crumbling roads and bridges is increasingly being diverted to support the state police, budget figures show. Many government officials, legislators and
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
construction industry members... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 09-11-2016 Port Authority's $8.4M Red Line project nearly finished
Commuter trains soon should run up and down Broadway Avenue in Beechview again. Port Authority of Allegheny County officials said the $8.4 million Red Line construction project is on track for normal train service to resume Sept. 25, within the authority's six-month timeline estimate.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-11-2016 Plan today for the infrastructure of tomorrow
Both major-party candidates for president have released "bold" infrastructure plans to build the "next generation of roads, bridges, railways, tunnels, seaports, and airports." Hillary Clinton's plan totals $275 billion over five years, plus an additional $225 billion in loans and loan-guarantee programs. Donald... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-11-2016 Letters: Lack of leadership driving Pa. Turnpike's debt crisis
It was disappointing, but not surprising, to read about the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's crippling debt ("Auditor: Turnpike finances in decline," Wednesday). The fact that the state legislature and governor enacted a law in 2007 requiring annual payments from collected tolls and... - Philadelphia Inquirer
09-11-2016 Cheers and Jeers
Cheers to former Pittsburgh Penguins’ assistant equipment manager Teddy Richards for sharing his big day with the Stanley Cup with his hometown of Wilkes-Barre. And good luck to Richards in Florida, where he is now the head equipment manager for the NHL’s Panthers.... - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice
09-11-2016 Infrastructure for Lehigh Valley warehouse boom lacking
After reading the story about the Lehigh Valley development summit, I just had to voice my opinion. Does Brian Knowles of the national real estate firm Lee & Associates have blinders on, live in the Lehigh Valley or ever drive on our highways during rush hour?... - Allentown Morning Call
09-11-2016 Local trucking company expands to Forks
A Northampton County trucking services company is growing its footprint in the area. SMR Trucking, SMR Logistics and SMR Truck and Trailer Repair bought an industrial building at 1600 Uhler Road in Forks Township last month, allowing the company to expand its services and add jobs, according to... - Allentown Morning Call
09-11-2016 Union at Erie GE in denial about loss of leverage: Letters to the editor
In reference to the Sept. 2 Guest Viewpoint column by the officers and board of Local 506 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, all of their points may well be true and the history of unionization, which has protected workers and their safety over the past... - Erie Times-News
09-11-2016 Cracker plant, gas industry hot topics at Airport Area Chamber legislative event
Cracker plant, gas industry hot topics at Airport Area Chamber legislative event - Beaver County Times
09-11-2016 Thousands of naked bicyclists swarm City of Brotherly Love
Thousands of bicyclists dared to be bare for the city's annual nude ride promoting positive body image, cycling advocacy and fuel conservation... - AP
09-11-2016 Apple Is Said to Be Rethinking Strategy on Self-Driving Cars
Apple is rethinking what it plans to do about self-driving cars, just as other big tech companies appear ready to plow ahead with competing efforts. In a retrenchment of one of its most
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
ambitious initiatives, Apple has shuttered parts of its self-driving car project and laid off dozens of... - New York Times
09-11-2016 No Driver? Bring It On. How Pittsburgh Became Uber’s Testing Ground
But it also has invited criticism from those who say Pittsburgh is giving too much power to tech companies, all for a sheen of innovation. Some residents are on edge about Uber’s self-driving vehicles and complain that they have been thrust into an experiment with potential safety risks.... - New York Times
09-11-2016 The battle between Tesla and your neighborhood car dealership
The first Tesla store opened in Columbus, Ohio, 72 miles away. Then one popped up in Cincinnati. Soon, another was in Cleveland. Tesla’s Ohio invasion was swift and — to longtime auto dealers such as Blake Arbogast — a growing threat, creeping ever closer. In Ohio, dealers sued and lobbied their legislators. One called Tesla’s... - Washington Post
09-11-2016 Double stacking key to Port of Baltimore's future
Op-ed: The Howard Street Tunnel must be renovated if Baltimore's port is to succeed. Despite dredging a 50-foot channel and having a large public-private investment in the Seagirt Marine Terminal to provide a 50-foot berth and super-sized Panamax container cranes, more has to be done so the Port of... - Baltimore Sun
09-09-2016 PennDOT Takes Next Steps to Strengthen Ridership at Middletown Train Station
(Press Release) 09-09-2016 Governor Wolf Announces PA Receives Nearly $7 Million in Grant Funding for...
(Press Release) 09-09-2016 Experts: Liberty Bridge fire avoidable if standards followed
The fire that risked bringing down the Liberty Bridge should not have occurred had workers been following long-standing fire safety measures, construction experts said Thursday. Workers at all construction sites are supposed to follow standards set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-09-2016 Tell PennDOT that bicyclists' bodies matter
Last week, on Wednesday, I went to a public meeting. I rode my bike, as usual. We considered Forbes Avenue, safety and how PennDOT makes its designs. But the real question was: What is my body worth? What was Susan Hicks’ body worth? What was Dennis Flanagan’s body worth?... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-09-2016 Liberty Bridge fire repairs to begin as OSHA investigates
PennDOT will begin repairing the shuttered Liberty Bridge as federal investigators launch a probe into the fire that damaged the nearly 90-year-old Monongahela River crossing. The vital link between the South Hills and Downtown closed Friday when the fire buckled a 30-foot steel beam. Wednesday morning, PennDOT approved... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
09-09-2016 FAA warns airline passengers not to use Samsung smartphone
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. aviation safety officials took the extraordinary step late Thursday of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge a new-model Samsung smartphone during flights following numerous reports of the devices catching fire... - AP
09-09-2016 Letters: Lack of leadership driving Pa. Turnpike's debt crisis
ISSUE | PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE Lack of leadership driving debt crisis It was disappointing, but not surprising, to read about the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's crippling debt ("Auditor: Turnpike finances in decline," Wednesday). The fact that the state legislature and governor... - Philadelphia Inquirer
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-09-2016 Railroad crossing where Dauphin County woman died: 'A perfect storm of undesirable
factors' HALIFAX—The railroad crossing in Halifax where new mom Trisha Hoffman was killed Monday is "seriously deficient," according to two railway experts interviewed by PennLive. Pennsylvania state law doesn't require drivers to stop at all railroad crossings. Instead, the law requires drivers to stop for flashing lights,... - Harrisburg Patriot-News
09-09-2016 Is it a positive step for the Lehigh Valley to become an ‘Inland Empire’ with more
warehouses? Construction began in August on FedEx Ground's $335 million package-sorting plant in Allen Township. Is it a positive step for the Lehigh Valley to become an ‘Inland Empire’ with more warehouses? - Allentown Morning Call
09-09-2016 Infrastructure for Lehigh Valley warehouse boom lacking
After reading the story about the Lehigh Valley development summit, I just had to voice my opinion. Does Brian Knowles of the national real estate firm Lee & Associates have blinders on, live in the Lehigh Valley or ever drive on our highways during rush hour?... - Allentown Morning Call
09-09-2016 State's highways not 'robust'
After reading about the Lehigh Valley being the next "Inland Empire," I found it extremely comical that the region's highways were described as a "robust interstate system." That is utterly laughable. The highways in Pennsylvania are the laughingstock of most of the nation, and Route 22 and... - Allentown Morning Call
09-09-2016 Northampton County's upcoming bridge project is breaking the mold
EASTON — Transportation officials across Pennsylvania will have their eyes on Northampton County over the next few years as it begins a groundbreaking project to replace or repair more than a quarter of its bridges. Within the next month or so, the county's General Purpose Authority is... - Allentown Morning Call
09-09-2016 Allentown's train to NYC jumps the tracks
If you're one of the many Lehigh Valley residents who fantasize about taking the train to New York, you should know that it will remain just that — a fantasy. Freight rail giant Norfolk Southern Corp. owns much of the tracks to New York and it will not be sharing those tracks with passenger trains,... - Allentown Morning Call
09-09-2016 Diverging diamond interchange to open in South Strabane
Drivers who travel Route 19 (Washington Road) under Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township should be prepared to negotiate a traffic pattern they likely never have encountered when the diverging diamond interchange is implemented next week. The diverging diamond is the first in Pennsylvania and will require traffic... - Washington Observer-Reporter
09-09-2016 ‘Dangerous corridor’ on 83: Why so many crashes?
Vehicles have crashed seven times in the Exit 10/Loganville area, resulting in road closures and some injuries, since December. 1-YDR-PMK-090416-loganvilleBuy Photo (Photo: Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record) COMMENTEMAILMORE Vanessa Dolan travels Interstate 83 daily to Baltimore, and the truck... - York Daily
09-09-2016 Dept. of Transportation: Weight restriction lifted on Spring Hill Road
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation advises motorists in Bradford County that a weight restriction has been removed from a section of Route 1007 (Spring Hill Road) because of upgrades made by PennDOT and Chesapeake Energy. - Towanda Daily Review
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-09-2016 Combat Vets Motorcycle Association and supporters to ride from Meadville to Flight 93 crash site on Sunday The Combat Vets Motorcycle Association PA 22-8 of Northwest Pennsylvania is riding to the Flight 93 crash site on Sunday. The group will gather at Post 52 of Veterans of the Vietnam War on Dunham Road in Meadville and leave at 10:30 a.m. The group will head south on... - Meadville Tribune
09-09-2016 Somerset Township finishes work to allow PennDOT projects to proceed
Somerset Township Municipal Authority crews are finishing work orders necessary for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation projects on Route 281. The authority moved some municipal piping to make way for a turning lane at Route 281 and Lake Road, a PennDOT project.... - Somerset Daily
09-09-2016 Maryland discusses 219 route as Pa. awaits funding
Maryland Department of Transportation officials met with residents in Grantsville on Thursday to discuss concepts for the Route 219 section between Route 68 and the Pennsylvania border. Project Management Division Chief Barrett Kiedrowski said Maryland has the... - Somerset Daily
09-09-2016 A reminder of the permanent wars: Dozens of U.S. airstrikes in six countries
While Americans savored the last moments of summer this Labor Day weekend, the U.S. military was busy overseas as warplanes conducted strikes in six countries in a flurry of attacks. The bombing runs across Asia, Africa and the Middle East spotlighted the diffuse terrorist threats that have... - Washington Post
09-09-2016 Is No-Fault Auto Insurance to Blame for High Rates, Fraud?
Michigan House members returned to work this week to decide whether they’ll give the state’s motorists a break on their highest-in-the-nation auto insurance premiums. In doing so, they’ll decide whether to dilute the nation’s most stringent no-fault auto insurance law, which requires drivers purchase... - Stateline.org
09-09-2016 Clarion County township leaders to meet at annual convention
CLARION - Officials representing townships of the second class in Clarion County will convene Thursday at the Knox fire hall for their 96th annual county convention. The purpose of the annual convention is to provide township officials with up-to-date information to help them better serve their residents and to... - Oil City Derrick
09-09-2016 PennDOT Now Controls Outdoor Advertising Along Key Corridor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – PennDOT has pulled the plug on the city’s control over billboard advertising on the Market Street East Corridor. But don’t look for the big digital display at 8th and Market Streets to disappear anytime soon. Acting on orders from the Federal Highway Administration, PennDOT’s... - KYW News Radio 1060
09-09-2016 Blowing the whistle on railroad crossing delays at SEPTA's Woodbourne station
Motorists miss doctor appointments or are late for work. Rescue squads and other first responders get caught in traffic jams on their way to St. Mary Medical Center. Shoppers can't reach Oxford Valley Mall. The railroad crossing at Woodbourne Road is a busy one, with both SEPTA and... - Levittown Intelligencer
09-09-2016 Drug cops arrest airport's partial owner, seize helicopter
A Brogue-area man who is part owner of Baublitz Commercial Airport and lives on airport property is accused of selling cocaine and marijuana plants to undercover officers. Hugh A. Lloyd II, 48, of 3354 Warner Road in Chanceford Township, is free on $25,000 unsecured bail, charged with three felony counts of drug... - York Dispatch
September 16, 2016
PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com
09-09-2016 Rabbit Transit moves to new facility York County's primary public transportation provider officially has a new home in West Manchester Township. Rabbit Transit has fully moved its central operations out of York City, at 1230 Roosevelt Ave., and into a former Pfaltzgraff distribution center, at 415 Zarfoss Drive, according to a company news release.... - York Dispatch
09-09-2016 Taking a toll
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has warned the state Turnpike Commission and the Legislature of what they apparently had not considered. The commission’s plan to exponentially increase tolls by 6 percent a year through 2044 is unsustainable, DePasquale said in an audit released... - Hazleton Standard-Speaker
09-09-2016 Motorcyclists to take 'Flight 93 Ride' Saturday
GREENCASTLE - Hundreds of motorcyclists will take off Saturday morning to pay their respects alongside military veterans at a hallowed ground that 15 years ago was one of three sites in the biggest terrorist attack in American history. Motorcyclists of all ages (though a motorcycle license is required, of... - Chambersburg Public Opinion
09-09-2016 Road repaving to begin in Chambersburg
CHAMBERSBURG - After a summer of having 18 city blocks dug up for infrastructure repairs and replacements, local residents can look forward to another six weeks of work to repave those roads. Repaving will begin Sept. 19 on Seventh Street. When that street is... - Chambersburg Public Opinion
09-09-2016 Bus association honors Smicksburg
The Indiana County Tourist Bureau announced recently that Smicksburg was selected as a winner in the shopping category for the mid-Atlantic region. ICTB nominated the community for the American Bus Association’s 2016 “Best of the Best” list of top travel spots in North America. A... - Indiana Gazette
09-09-2016 Broad reforms can solve Turnpike’s financial crisis
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is in trouble. That’s a phrase that’s been said all too frequently over the years. Pennsylvania taxpayers have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees tied to corruption cases. Shoddy management and hiring practices... - Butler Eagle
09-09-2016 W-B/Scranton airport work done
HARRISBURG — The $43 million Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport Interchange Project is now complete, PennDOT has announced. The work, which began in June... - Bloomsburg Press Enterprise
09-09-2016 GM recalls 4 million vehicles for air bag defect linked to death
General Motors Co. is recalling about 4 million vehicles worldwide to fix an air bag software defect that has been linked to one death... - AP
09-09-2016 Charter service to Cuba planned from Pittsburgh International Airport
A Miami-based airline is planning to begin charter service to Cuba from Pittsburgh International Airport later this year. Choice Aire is expected to announce the twice-weekly flights from Pittsburgh next week, said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County... -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
09-09-2016 Spectra Energy, other officials to speak at town hall on Salem Twp. pipeline explosion
The Salem Township Board of Supervisors will be host to a town hall meeting focusing on the natural gas pipeline explosion in April. Officials from Spectra Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the state Public... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
