SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) yesterday recognized PennDOT employees with Innovation Awards for their efforts to improve work practices and create efficiencies. Several team members from PennDOT’s District 6, which represents Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties were among the honorees.
“PennDOT employees have demonstrated a tireless dedication to the Department’s mission and goals,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “I’m proud to see so many examples of that dedication and recognize those employees for their creativity in solving problems and improving processes.”
The annual Innovation Awards Ceremony recognizes some of the best and most innovative ideas cultivated and implemented by PennDOT employees across the Department. Employees who assessed and improved processes, systems and tools they were using to meet the need of Pennsylvania drivers are considered for the award. Each employee receives a custom award that represents PennDOT’s appreciation for their dedication and commitment to efficient and effective operations at all levels of the organization.
Carroll and other department executives honored the following winners from District 6:
The District 6 I-95 Bridge Collapse Emergency Response Team: The District has received the 2023 George W. McAuley Jr., P.E. Innovation Award for its quick response time and innovative solutions to address the Interstate 95 collapse at Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia. On the morning of June 11, 2023, a fuel tanker crash, explosion and intense fire killed the driver and caused the structure carrying the northbound lanes of I-95 to collapse as well as damaged the steel beams carrying the southbound lanes beyond repair. This resulted in emergency responders closing the highway to traffic approximately 12 minutes after the initial fire was reported. The District 6 Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) was immediately engaged, and theIncident Command Center (ICC) was activated.
The team made an immediate assessment of the damage with an “all-hands-on-deck” response from not only PennDOT, but the City of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and others.
Through various coordination, a plan for an interim repair to open the roadway took shape. The repair utilized a temporary mechanically stabilized wall system, which was determined to be the most efficient and applicable material to “fill the gap” and allow for a rapid reconstruction of the highway in advance of a more permanent repair. This innovative approach utilized relatively new material consisting of recycled foamed glass aggregate. Once demolition was completed on June 15, placement of the recycled glass aggregate material began and was completed ahead of schedule. It was also quickly recognized by the team that a pre-casting barrier was the only solution to expedite the project compared to a cast-in-place median barrier; and
Jacob D. Knapp, Assistant District Materials Engineer, and Joe Rudi, Assistant Construction Engineer Surface Treatment: Knapp and Rudi received a 2023 Innovation award for creative use of materials on a resurfacing project in Philadelphia.
District 6 allowed the use of Fiber Modified Courses (FMC) mix with standard asphalt as an alternative to the polymer-modified Superpave Asphalt Mixture design. This provided the supplier with an alternative method to achieve a given design performance, which resulted in lower bid prices. The material also provided the contractor with a longer paving season due to FMC mix with standard asphalt not being limited to the same temperature restrictions as the polymer-modified asphalt mix.
“I am incredibly proud of our District 6 team,” said District 6 Executive Lou Belmonte. “The Philadelphia region’s transportation network is well taken care of by our dedicated staff who work tirelessly each day to provide safe and efficient transportation for our communities.”
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