PennDot - District 10 News

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Indiana, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 10 is announcing the Butler County Maintenance Office is looking for locations to receive fill from upcoming shoulder grading and ditch cleaning operations.

PennDOT crews will be performing maintenance operations along 280 miles of state-maintained roadways in Butler County. Shoulder grading will be conducted in the northeast quadrant of Butler County as part of the cycle sectional maintenance four-year plan.

The shoulder grading operations remove excess soil and debris from unpaved shoulder areas to improve drainage and allow water to leave the roadway. It will begin late April.  Ditch cleaning operations will occur along various routes county wide and occur year-round as weather permits.

The maintenance crews are seeking fill dump sites. Property owners who are interested in receiving the fill should contact the Butler County PennDOT Office at (724) 284-8800, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm for a release form.  Authorization and requests for fill are approved annually and need to be renewed each calendar year.

Indiana, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding property owners that if planned property improvements include constructing or altering a driveway that connects to a state highway, a Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) must first be obtained from PennDOT.

HOPs for driveways are required by Section 420 of Title 36, also known as the State Highway Law. Property owners without these permits should obtain one from PennDOT as the permit legitimizes the driveway and is evidence of compliance with the law.

Permit applications may be submitted online or by using paper applications. To apply online visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/regional-offices/district-10. Select Permits under Public Resources, then click Apply for PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.  On that page applicants may access PennDOT’s Electronic Permitting System (ePermitting) to complete an online application.  To complete a paper application for a Minimum Use Driveway (no more than 25 vehicles per day) complete PennDOT Form M-950A (https://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/PubsForms/Forms/M-950A.PDF) or for a higher traffic volume driveway complete PennDOT Form M-945A (https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/penndot/documents/public/pubsforms/forms/m-945a.pdf)

Permit applications can be obtained from PennDOT district office by calling 724-357-2800 to schedule an appointment. Completed applications should then be submitted to the district office for review, at which time PennDOT will review the driveway location for compliance with applicable laws and regulations such as sight distance, drainage and proposed driveway design features, in order to eliminate costly problems that the property owner might otherwise face, such as relocating the driveway.

Property owners need to apply for a permit at least 30 days in advance of the date they plan to start work on their driveway, unless making application for a long-existing driveway. However, to avoid potentially costly issues, PennDOT strongly encourages property owners to obtain a driveway permit before obtaining a building permit, which may be required in some municipalities by ordinance. Potential conflicts can often be avoided by determining an acceptable driveway location prior to constructing a building on the property.

Once the driveway construction or alteration is completed, the property owner must notify the PennDOT district office so that a final inspection can be conducted to verify that the work completed is consistent with the permit.

The application/inspection fee for a residential driveway permit is $25. A property owner who fails to obtain a permit prior to the construction of a new driveway or altering the design of an existing driveway is subject to a minimum $100 fine plus court costs. Additional costs would also result if the driveway were installed improperly and needs to be corrected by the property owner or PennDOT.

Although a driveway permit is not normally required for paving an existing and properly permitted driveway, property owners should contact PennDOT before paving an existing permitted driveway to discuss any potential impacts to highway drainage. If highway drainage is not properly accommodated, driveway repairs may be required at the owner’s expense.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding motorists to drive safely in work zones after there have been several incidents of work zone intrusions resulting in motorists hitting PennDOT employees or equipment.

The most recent crash occurred on June 5, 2022 when a PennDOT employee was struck by a motorist while working on a bridge resurfacing project in Allegheny County. The employee suffered injuries requiring medical attention and transportation to a hospital.

"Work zones may be a temporary inconvenience, but these workers all deserve to get home safely," said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. "Please slow down and never drive distracted, especially in work zones where roadway conditions can change every day."

According to PennDOT data, in 2021 there were 1,649 work zone crashes, resulting in 16 fatalities. Additionally, since 1970, PennDOT has lost 90 workers in the line of duty.

In addition to crash data from police reports, PennDOT monitors work zone safety with internal reports. From January 1, 2020 to June 7, 2022, there have been 300 reported intrusions in PennDOT work zones. Of those work zone intrusions, 31 resulted in injuries to PennDOT employees, 66 caused damage to PennDOT equipment or vehicles only, and 203 did not result in injury or damage but had the potential to do so.

In Pennsylvania, there are two distinct programs related to active work zones. Under Title 75, Section 3326, motorists caught by police driving 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit in an active work zone, or who are involved in a crash in an active work zone and are convicted for failing to drive at a safe speed, automatically lose their license for 15 days. Additionally, fines for certain traffic violations — including speeding, driving under the influence, and failure to obey traffic devices — are doubled for active work zones. The law also provides for up to five years of additional jail time for individuals convicted of homicide by vehicle for a crash that occurred in an active work zone.

Under Title 75, Section 3369, fines are allowed to be administered through the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program. Pennsylvania's AWZSE program, first implemented in March 2020, uses vehicle-mounted systems to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more using electronic speed timing devices. AWZSE systems are only operational in active work zones where workers are present. Work Zones that have an AWZSE system present and active will have unique signs in advance of the enforcement area, alerting drivers to the upcoming enforcement. Registered owners receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice and $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice and $150 fine for third and subsequent offenses. These violations are civil penalties only; no points are assessed to driver's licenses.

For more information on work zone safety visit, www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety.

For more information on the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program, including a list of projects where the units are deployed, visit https://workzonecameras.penndot.gov/.

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