The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is advancing one of the state’s first hard shoulder running flex lane projects along the I-476 corridor. Designed to improve mobility, safety, and travel time reliability, the project will use Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to make more efficient use of roadway infrastructure and support more reliable corridor operations during peak travel periods.
Partnering with PennDOT and Benesch, VHB is supporting ITS strategies that help manage lane use, variable speed limits, and hard shoulder running operations. The project includes approximately 13 miles of variable speed limit signs that dynamically adjust posted speeds in response to real-time traffic conditions, helping smooth traffic flow, reduce sudden braking, and improve safety. VHB is also piloting automated object detection technology to identify stopped vehicles, pedestrians, and roadway debris.
Together, these ITS solutions will support a flexible lane strategy that opens the shoulder as a travel lane during designated periods. This will add capacity when it is needed most while helping reduce congestion and enhance reliability for communities throughout the corridor.
