Governor Wolf Announces 22 Municipalities to Improve Traffic Safety with Red Light Enforcement Funds

Governor Tom Wolf today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will distribute approximately $12.9 million in Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) funding to 22 municipalities statewide to fund 28 safety projects.

Pennsylvania’s ARLE program aims to improve safety at signalized intersections by providing automated enforcement at locations where data shows red-light running has been an issue.

“This program helps communities across the state make investments in safety and efficient traffic flow,” Governor Wolf said. “These improvements complement the many road, bridge, and multimodal projects happening in Pennsylvania.”

Grant funding is supplied by fines from red light violations at 32 intersections in Philadelphia. State law specifies that projects improving safety, enhancing mobility, and reducing congestion can be considered for funding. Municipalities submitted 132 applications, totaling $48.3 million in requests. 

Projects were selected by an eight-member committee based on criteria such as safety benefits and effectiveness, cost, and local and regional impact. 

This investment brings the total dollars awarded through the ARLE funding program to $112.7 million, funding 501 transportation enhancement projects since 2010. 

The 28 approved projects are as follows:

Allegheny County: 

• Carnegie Borough: $66,193 to install a Flashing Beacon at a crosswalk serving Carnegie Elementary School;
• Castle Shannon Borough: $90,000 to review pedestrian safety features at the heavily utilized intersection of Mt. Lebanon Boulevard (Route 3042) and Cooke Drive;
• Kilbuck Township: $116,000 to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety on Camp Horne Road, which currently has no pedestrian facilities or connectivity;
• City of Pittsburgh: $233,066 to replace the traffic signal and improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of North Charles Street and Perrysville Avenue; and
• City of Pittsburgh: $230,600 to replace the traffic signal and improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Black Street and North Negley Avenue.

Bucks County 

• Falls Township: $756,881 for intersection safety improvements to seven intersections throughout the community. To include the installation of pedestrian signals, ADA curb ramps, and preemption devices on existing traffic signals.

Butler County

• Cranberry Township: $300,000 for the installation of a new warranted traffic signal at the intersection of Route 19 and Progress Avenue.

Carbon County 

• Palmerton Borough: $329,398 for replacement of all existing signal equipment at the offset intersection of Third Street and Delaware Avenue. This will bring the intersection up to current PennDOT safety standards.

Clearfield County 

• Lawrence Township: $299,117 to upgrade the Route 879 Signal System for unified command and control through PennDOT’s central software system. The existing video system will be upgraded to an infrared system. The existing overhead signals will be replaced with new signals with reflective back plates.

Columbia County 

• Hemlock Township: $404,161 to install a new traffic signal in place of the current two-way stop configuration at the intersection of Route 42 (Mall Blvd) and Route 4003 (Frosty Valley Road). 

Delaware County 

• Upper Darby Township: $107,370 to improve to improve pedestrian safety along the Providence Road corridor at Penn Pines Park by installing a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB), installing ADA accessible curb ramps and crosswalk striping. There will also be striping improvements at the intersection of Penn Pines Boulevard to help manage turning movements and improve sight distance.

Franklin County 

• Washington Township: $30,700 to conduct a traffic study along the Route 16 corridor, develop an optimal timing plan, and implement the necessary changes to enhance the flow of traffic in this corridor.

Lackawanna County 

• Blakely Borough: $123,210 to improve pedestrian safety on Depot Street at the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail mid-block crossing.  Improvements will include ADA accessible ramps, flashing beacons to alert drivers and pedestrians/cyclists to slow down and be aware of conditions, signage to encourage sharing the road and a high visibility colored concrete crossing. 

Lancaster County 

• Lancaster City: $235,250.00 to install curb bump outs and a Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at the S. Queen/Farnum Street intersection to improve pedestrian safety; and
• Mountville Borough: $460,953.00 to modernize an existing traffic signal at the intersection of West Main Street (Route 462), East Main Street (Route 462), North Manor Street and South Manor Street (Route 3017), including replacement of 8” 4-way signal heads with 12” signals on mast arms.

Lehigh County 

• Upper Saucon Township: $5,600 to install Reflective Backplates at Route 309 and Center Valley Parkway.

Luzerne County 

• City of Hazlelton: $1,024,006 to make traffic signal upgrades on Route 309 at 15^th, 22^nd, and Diamond Streets. These upgrades will improve pedestrian safety and traffic flow.

Montgomery County 

• Hatboro Borough: $83,550 to install overhead and post mounted pedestrian signage with Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) for the existing crosswalk;
• Limerick Township: $37,290 to install pedestrian signal improvements comprising of LED Hand-Man Countdown pedestrian signal heads, controller assembly modifications to accommodate the Hand-Man Countdown pedestrian signals, pavement marking adjustments on Tenth Street and revised location of an ADA ramp;
• Upper Hanover Township: $494,600.00 to modernize the intersection of John Fries Highway (Route 663) and Geryville Road, including new traffic signal supports and equipment. Advance warning “Signal Ahead” devices will be provided for the John Fries Highway (Route 663) approaches; and
• Whitemarsh Township: $453,705.00 to modernize the intersection of Bethlehem Pike (Route 2018), Skippack Pike (Route 73) and Camp Hill Road (Route 2028). The project includes the installation of new mast arms and/or pedestals with LED signal indications, installation of video vehicle detection with dilemma-zone detection for Bethlehem Pike, conversion of existing 5-section signal heads to flashing yellow indications along Bethlehem Pike, inclusion of emergency pre-emption equipment and timings, upgrade of the existing signal controller with new conduit/wiring throughout the intersection, installation of a battery backup system and fiber interconnect to the Church Road intersection to the south.

Philadelphia County 

• City of Philadelphia: $6.5 million for the following five programs: Priority Corridor Safety Improvements, Intersection Transit Safety Improvements, Bike Network Curb Separation, Bus Boarding Islands and Corridor ITS and Emergency Preemption.

Westmoreland County 

• Irwin Borough: $347,000 to upgrade the intersection by providing new mast arm type supports to allow the signals to be mounted over the roadway. In addition to the vehicular signals, new pedestrian count down signal heads will be provided; and
• Unity Township – $167,000 to improve safety by restricting left turns out of the side streets. This restriction will be accomplished by the construction of a concrete mountable barrier through the intersection.

For more information, visit PennDOT’s website, or email ARLE@pa.gov.