CHRISTIANA, Pa. — Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll is highlighting the Shapiro Administration’s historic progress in delivering a record number of roadway and bridge Improvements across state.
“PennDOT has a huge responsibility: to deliver quality transportation for the 13 million people of Pennsylvania, as well as those who travel through our state,” Carroll said. “We don’t take that responsibility lightly, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team, who, along with our industry partners, have improved more miles of roadway and more bridges over the past two years than any time in the last decade. We can’t rest on this progress, and we have to keep focused on our goal of keeping Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges safe and reliable.”
Governor Makes Infrastructure Improvements Vital
“The Shapiro administration understands the vital role infrastructure plays in the daily lives of millions of Pennsylvanians,” the release said. The administration invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure in both rural and urban communities to support a safe and reliable transportation network connecting Pennsylvanians no matter where they live. PennDOT road and bridge Improvements are critical.
PennDOT Road and Bridge Improvements See Record Numbers
Statewide in 2024, 5,910 roadway miles were improved, including 2,186 miles of paving. In the same timeframe, work advanced on 488 state and locally owned bridges. Additionally, 509 construction contracts for highway, bridge and other improvement projects were completed statewide through PennDOT’s private-sector partners in 2024.
“In his first two years, Governor Shapiro has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure funding for our roads and bridges, which – combined with federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments – has resulted in 12,921 miles of roadway improved, including 4,708 miles of paving: nearly 900 more miles of roadway improved and over 800 more miles paved than in the previous two years,” PennDOT said. “During the same timeframe, work advanced on 1,172 state and local bridges, compared to 998 during the previous two years.”
Poor Conditions Remedied
According to the release more poor-condition bridges have been repaired than any other state in the nation in 2023 and improved more miles of roadway than any time in the past decade. Governor Shapiro has brought Democrats and Republicans together to invest $330.5 million in additional state funding in our roads and bridges on a bipartisan basis.
Celebration of Accomplishments
A celebration event was held at a newly replaced bridge on Bridge Street over Williams Run in Christiana, Lancaster County. The $2.1 million project was completed under budget and a month ahead of schedule and was led by Lobar Site Development of Dillsburg and supported by 14 subcontractors and 30 Lobar employees. In addition to replacing the bridge itself, which was originally built in 1941, the project included new sidewalks and accessibility improvements. The new bridge spans 110 feet and features a wider deck and meets modern safety standards.
“Around 2,400 vehicles cross over this bridge every day,” Carroll said.. “While that may not seem like a lot when you compare it to a major bridge on an interstate, our rural bridges are critical to the communities they serve. We’re responsible for thousands of bridges just like this one across the state, and we’ve been just as focused on improving them as we are on our larger bridges. In those 2,400 vehicles are people going to work, trucks taking goods to market, and families taking their kids to activities, folks just living their lives. An investment in this bridge is an investment in this community, and the people who live here.”
For more information on PennDOT’s ongoing infrastructure projects, visit penndot.pa.gov. Information about the state’s infrastructure and results PennDOT is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at projects.penndot.gov.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
