Reduce Work-Zone Accidents With Speed-Detection Cameras

Pennsylvania lawmakers are contemplating a bill that would encourage drivers to apply the brakes when entering active work zones. The state’s senate transportation committee on tuesday approved legislation that would establish a five-year pilot program of installing speed-detection cameras in work zones on pennsylvania department of transportation (penndot) and pennsylvania turnpike commission highways.

Maryland implemented this photo radar program and it saw the number of drivers exceeding the speed limit in work zones drop from 7% to 1%, according to a 2012 report issued by the pennsylvania state transportation advisory committee.

The pennsylvania turnpike commission, which supports the bill along with a myriad of other agencies and organizations, found that speeding was the leading contributing factor to work-zone crashes on the toll road between 2011 and 2015.

The legislation would require at least two warning signs about the automated speed enforcement system to be posted before the work zone. Drivers who exceed the work-zone speed limit by at least 11 mph would be fined $100. Funding raised from the fines would be divided between the state police and penndot. Both penndot and the turnpike commission would be required to submit an annual report on work-zone crashes and speed-related data.

President trump’s transition team has compiled a list of 50 potential transportation projects across the country that could be targeted in his promised infrastructure proposal, according to documents obtained by mcclatchy’s kansas city star and the news tribune.

Two of the examples floated on the list—the gateway program and brent spence bridge—would upgrade critical structures in kentucky and new york that have long been championed by majority leader mitch mcconnell (r-ky.) and minority leader charles schumer (d-n.Y.).

However, it’s not clear whether the 52-page document is a preliminary draft or a final proposal. The document includes all but two projects that were circulated in a national governors association (nga) spreadsheet. The list comes nearly two months after the nga was asked by the transition team to start collecting “shovel-ready” project requests from states in an effort to create a list that trump could cull from. Over 300 projects had been submitted as of monday.

The documents obtained by mcclatchy, which include a portfolio of projects totaling $137.5 billion, offer a picture of the types of infrastructure investments that trump could make, but still leaves out key details such as how the plan would be paid for. The list from trump’s transition team, according to the document, envisions half of the funding coming from the private sector, and would require projects to be considered a national security or emergency, “shovel-ready” and a direct job-creator in order to qualify.

Other projects reportedly being considered by trump’s team include building a high-speed railway from dallas to houston; constructing a new terminal at the kansas city airport; repairing a highway in north carolina; and expanding new york city’s subway.