PennDOT monitors the roads we drive on 24/7.
And Penn State Alum, Jill Byrne, now a Civil Engineer in the Maintenance Unit, oversees the Posted and Bonded Road Unit.
If a road is Posted, it means it has a weight limit of ten tons.
If a road is Bonded, it means a company is hauling more than that weight and is paying to use it, but if it causes damage it is responsible for the repairs.
“The general public, the taxpayers, are paying for these roads so when a big company is out there and potentially damaging the road, we don’t feel that the taxpayer should be responsible for that excess damage,” Byrne said.
PennDOT offers an interactive map online to see how roadways are categorized and keep everyone in check.
“So if they think someone is out there that shouldn’t be using the road, obviously that can be a problem,” Byrne said.
Some haulers may not regularly surpass the weight limit, but for a certain amount of time they can request a letter of local determination.
Which means they’re given the green light to drive with excess weight legally for the approved time frame.
But initially they weren’t showing up on the online map, leaving some haulers concerned and questioning other drivers.
“I see a hauler on the road, I don’t think they should be there. And we would have to tell them, well they should be there but you can’t see it on the website,” Byrne said.
So Byrne submitted a solution to IdeaLink–it’s a like an internal comment box for PennDOT employees to suggest ideas.
Marla Fannin, Public Information Officer for PennDOT, said “It can be an idea that saves money, saves time, improves efficiency, all sorts of things.”
Byrne was one of 13 recipients for the IdeaLink award, who was recognized by PennDOT and Governor Tom Wolf.
“It’s a real nice way to say not just say that’s its a great idea, but thank you as well,” Fannin said.
And now Byrne’s idea has been implemented on the system.
“I was surprised. I thought it was a common sense little idea and it wasn’t a big deal but I guess it seemed like a good improvement and enhancement to the website,” Byrne said.