The road map for transportation projects over the next few years will focus on local bridges, according to a proposed long-term infrastructure plan.

While state and county-owned bridges have been getting a lot of attention in recent years, officials with the state Department of Transportation and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission said they’re now moving forward with upgrades to lesser-traveled municipal-owned spans in the region.

PennDOT and SPC officials held a public meeting at Courthouse Square in Washington on Tuesday in which they unveiled the upcoming Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, which offers a road map for future projects and how they will be funded. The four-year plans are adjusted every two years, and the SPC is now preparing to put the finishing touches on its 2025-28 plan with the expectation that its board will approve it in June.

“It’s a work in progress at the moment,” said Domenic D’Andrea, who is the SPC’s director of transportation and planning. “It’s a living, breathing document.”

But it also offers a set of priorities moving forward. In the upcoming TIP under consideration, locally owned bridges will be a focus of the infrastructure upgrades. That’s because while about 10% of state-maintained bridges are considered to be in poor condition, the number of local bridges that are rated poor is around 25%, according to D’Andrea.

Out of the $1.9 billion for major road projects in the region through the 2023 TIP, about 43% of it is earmarked for bridges.

“You’re going to see a lot of bridge preservation projects … and bigger projects,” said Angela Swallop Saunders, who is PennDOT District 12’s transportation planning manager. “We’re making a rather large investment in bridges.”

In addition to helping preserve municipal-owned bridges, she said PennDOT will also educate local leaders on how to maintain them so they can continue to be used for years to come, she said.

For more information on the next four-year TIP plan or to offer feedback about the plans, go to SPC’s website at www.spcregion.org and click on the “Get Involved!” tab.

View the full article at observer-reporter.com

Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health announced plans Wednesday to build a new $232 million hospital in Washington County to replace Canonsburg Hospital.

The approximately 300,000-square-foot, all-private-room hospital will be built on AHN Canonsburg ‘s existing campus in North Strabane Township.

Construction of AHN’s state-of-the-art, 50- to 100-bed Canonsburg facility is expected to begin in 2024 and will open in 2027.

Additional facilities, including a medical office building and a potential future cancer center, are planned for the campus.

AHN Canonsburg was established in 1904 and has operated at the current Medical Boulevard location since 1983.

“We’re just really excited. It’s been a long time coming,” said Dr. Chong S. Park, president of Canonsburg Hospital. “I think this is going to be fantastic. The current Canonsburg Hospital is an aging building; there’s not a lot of space, and it’s unable to accommodate the new technologies like CTs and MRIs, which are getting bigger, not smaller. The network decided in order to provide what we need to provide to the community, we need a new building.”

The new hospital will provide an array of advanced clinical services, including primary, emergency, and critical care; state-of-the-art surgical capabilities; advanced cardiac, orthopedic, and neurosurgical care; and various multi-disciplinary programs, including women’s health.

“This hospital will have all the bells and whistles, but more important is there will be a medical office building, which I think is fundamental to people in the area. It’s sort of a one-stop shop, and it will have all of the basic things a community would need.”

AHN President Jim Benedict said the health system is excited to provide a “beautiful, modern campus that will enable us to better meet the diverse health-care needs of the community and advance our living health model.

“Our goal is to provide enhanced access to a much broader array of integrated, high-quality, comprehensive clinical programs that will enable more patients to stay close to home for the services they need,” Benedict said.

Washington County’s population, now approximately 210,000, has experienced minimal to moderate growth over the past decade. But the communities around Canonsburg – including Cecil Township (12%), Chartiers Township (10%), North Strabane Township (8%) and Peters Township (4%) – have experienced considerably more growth, with continued population gains expected in the coming decade, according to projections from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

“Building the hospital now is quite timely. We’ll be able to take care of our people now, and be able to accommodate the future, which is key,” said Park.

Canonsburg Hospital’s service area also is home to approximately 115,000 Highmark members.

The new AHN Canonsburg Hospital is expected to create hundreds of additional permanent health care jobs when it’s complete, along with hundreds of construction jobs. Currently, there are approximately 400 employees at AHN Canonsburg, all of whom will be tracked to the same roles at the new facility.

“Designing an exceptional clinical environment for our physicians, nurses and other caregivers is essential to providing the best possible experience for our patients,” said Dr. Donald Whiting, Chief Medical Officer at AHN. “As with all of our new facilities in recent years, we look forward to our caregivers playing a key role in helping us determine the look, feel and functionality of this new hospital to help us fulfill that promise.”

Over the past five years, AHN and Highmark Health have significantly increased the reach of its services throughout the Western Pennsylvania region, including five new hospitals, six new cancer centers, five Health and Wellness Pavilions and other outpatient facilities, major emergency department expansions at three hospitals, significant expansion of women’s health services and facilities, and other technological and infrastructure upgrades.

The current hospital will operate during construction of the new facility. Once the new hospital is constructed, the current building will be torn down.

View the full article at heraldstandard.com

Nearly two months after her son was injured responding to a crash scene, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will raise awareness for “Crash Responder Safety Week” on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission news conference.

“God uses us all in interesting ways,” she said with a chuckle Monday. “It just so happens that I’m chair of the commission right now, and I’ve had this experience, so to the extent that we can use it to help educate others, we will.”

Osche’s son — state Trooper Josh Osche, of Troop D in Butler — was struck Aug. 24 when he stopped to assist at an accident along the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County.

Off-duty, Josh was hit while attempting to place flares around the crash of a Subaru Impreza and a tow truck.

Osche said the tow truck’s driver, Blair Johnson, made the “heroic effort” of dragging her son to safety after he was hit.

“He realized pretty quickly that Josh was in big trouble,” she said. “He said he never expected, when (Josh) landed, that he was going to be alive — based on how far in the air he was launched.”

Since the accident, Osche said her son has been “making great progress” and is up and moving with the assistance of a walker.

“We’re finally able to get in a regular vehicle, and that just happened within the last two weeks,” she said. “He’s actually able to get out a little bit.”

Josh still is unable to put his full weight on his left leg, she said, but she said he’s expected to meet with a surgeon before Thanksgiving Day.

“He’s coming along fine,” she said. “His spirits are fabulous.”

And while he recovers, Osche said, Josh is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

“He’s studying and researching and producing maps,” she said, “and also still — to the extent that he can — providing assistance to his colleagues in searching and doing analyses to help them find people or reconstruct incidents.”

But he hopes to return to his regular duties soon, Osche said.

“I’m hoping that once we get through the holidays, he’ll be able to go back to the barracks at least,” she said.

Josh speaks very highly of Johnson’s assistance at the crash, according to Osche, and he empathized with the driver who hit him — who “was very shook up.”

“He doesn’t fault anybody; that’s the one thing about him,” she said. “He doesn’t fault anybody, because I think he felt like an accident’s an accident.”

As chairwoman for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Osche said one of the planning organization’s roles was to “call attention to traffic safety.”

“It’s not just the safety of roadway construction, but in this case, it’s encouraging drivers to be safe and pay attention when there are crashes and crash responders on the highway,” she said.

With “Crash Responder Safety Week,” Osche said Tuesday’s news conference — at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh — will include a memorial for local first responders killed responding to crashes.

“I think this is really just to call attention to the fact that this has a significant impact on people’s lives, and we hope that drivers will be aware of their surroundings, pay attention, watch for those flashing lights, blinker lights, reflective vests,” she said. “Watch for those things, and slow down.”

View the full story at cranberryeagle.com

Nearly two months after her son was injured responding to a crash scene, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will raise awareness for “Crash Responder Safety Week” on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission news conference.

“God uses us all in interesting ways,” she said with a chuckle Monday. “It just so happens that I’m chair of the commission right now, and I’ve had this experience, so to the extent that we can use it to help educate others, we will.”

Osche’s son — state Trooper Josh Osche, of Troop D in Butler — was struck Aug. 24 when he stopped to assist at an accident along the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County.

Off-duty, Josh was hit while attempting to place flares around the crash of a Subaru Impreza and a tow truck.

Osche said the tow truck’s driver, Blair Johnson, made the “heroic effort” of dragging her son to safety after he was hit.

“He realized pretty quickly that Josh was in big trouble,” she said. “He said he never expected, when (Josh) landed, that he was going to be alive — based on how far in the air he was launched.”

Since the accident, Osche said her son has been “making great progress” and is up and moving with the assistance of a walker.

“We’re finally able to get in a regular vehicle, and that just happened within the last two weeks,” she said. “He’s actually able to get out a little bit.”

Josh still is unable to put his full weight on his left leg, she said, but she said he’s expected to meet with a surgeon before Thanksgiving Day.

“He’s coming along fine,” she said. “His spirits are fabulous.”

And while he recovers, Osche said, Josh is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

“He’s studying and researching and producing maps,” she said, “and also still — to the extent that he can — providing assistance to his colleagues in searching and doing analyses to help them find people or reconstruct incidents.”

But he hopes to return to his regular duties soon, Osche said.

“I’m hoping that once we get through the holidays, he’ll be able to go back to the barracks at least,” she said.

Josh speaks very highly of Johnson’s assistance at the crash, according to Osche, and he empathized with the driver who hit him — who “was very shook up.”

“He doesn’t fault anybody; that’s the one thing about him,” she said. “He doesn’t fault anybody, because I think he felt like an accident’s an accident.”

As chairwoman for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Osche said one of the planning organization’s roles was to “call attention to traffic safety.”

“It’s not just the safety of roadway construction, but in this case, it’s encouraging drivers to be safe and pay attention when there are crashes and crash responders on the highway,” she said.

With “Crash Responder Safety Week,” Osche said Tuesday’s news conference — at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh — will include a memorial for local first responders killed responding to crashes.

“I think this is really just to call attention to the fact that this has a significant impact on people’s lives, and we hope that drivers will be aware of their surroundings, pay attention, watch for those flashing lights, blinker lights, reflective vests,” she said. “Watch for those things, and slow down.”

View the full story at butlereagle.com

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“He was in the process of placing warning light sticks on the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle and launched into the air, landing in the center of the parkway,” said Osche, who is also chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “A tow-truck driver, Blair Johnson, who was involved in the accident and attempting to divert traffic from the disabled vehicle, pulled my son to safety, lest he be hit again.

“His injuries were very serious. He suffered two broken legs and is learning to walk again.”

Osche’s story kicked off a conference regarding Crash Responder Safety Week, which the commission hosts each year to remind drivers to slow down and move over when they see emergency vehicles on a roadway. The conference, which took place at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh and was streamed on the commission’s Facebook page, featured speeches from several traffic officials in the region.

State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said at the conference it is the responsibility of every driver to be alert while behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially when approaching vehicles stopped on or along a road.

“It’s your duty to be paying attention to the roadway and all the obstacles around you,” Gagliardi said. “Our strongest statistic is actually tow truck drivers getting hit on the side of the road.”

Joshua Spano, manager of transportation operations and safety for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, said the easiest thing people can do to increase safety as people respond to roadside incidents is slow down.

“My ask for the traveling public is that you slow down and move over so we can do our jobs,” Spano said. “One life lost is too many.”

Osche said her son is recovering from the crash well and is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

Although Joshua Osche survived the crash and is making a recovery, Leslie Osche said the crash and others like it can be avoided if drivers use safe driving techniques — and simply move over when approaching emergency vehicles.

“It was a challenge that night on the parkway to get traffic to slow down and move over,” Leslie Osche said. “If you come upon a scene where first responders are assisting someone, if you see lights, if you see flares, please pay attention. … Move over.”

View the full story at cranberryeagle.com

Thirty-four people across the nation have died this year while responding to roadside incidents. A Butler County commissioner’s son is just one story of how roadside workers can be injured or killed if drivers are not paying attention.

State trooper Joshua Osche, son of county Commissioner Leslie Osche, was struck by a vehicle while laying flares at a crash site on the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. He was not on duty at the time, but was wearing a reflective jacket, Leslie Osche recounted during a Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission press conference Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“He was in the process of placing warning light sticks on the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle and launched into the air, landing in the center of the parkway,” said Osche, who is also chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “A tow-truck driver, Blair Johnson, who was involved in the accident and attempting to divert traffic from the disabled vehicle, pulled my son to safety, lest he be hit again.

“His injuries were very serious. He suffered two broken legs and is learning to walk again.”

Osche’s story kicked off a conference regarding Crash Responder Safety Week, which the commission hosts each year to remind drivers to slow down and move over when they see emergency vehicles on a roadway. The conference, which took place at the Strip District Terminal in Pittsburgh and was streamed on the commission’s Facebook page, featured speeches from several traffic officials in the region.

State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said at the conference it is the responsibility of every driver to be alert while behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially when approaching vehicles stopped on or along a road.

“It’s your duty to be paying attention to the roadway and all the obstacles around you,” Gagliardi said. “Our strongest statistic is actually tow truck drivers getting hit on the side of the road.”

Joshua Spano, manager of transportation operations and safety for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, said the easiest thing people can do to increase safety as people respond to roadside incidents is slow down.

“My ask for the traveling public is that you slow down and move over so we can do our jobs,” Spano said. “One life lost is too many.”

Osche said her son is recovering from the crash well and is still participating in state police work as part of its cellular analysis task force.

Although Joshua Osche survived the crash and is making a recovery, Leslie Osche said the crash and others like it can be avoided if drivers use safe driving techniques — and simply move over when approaching emergency vehicles.

“It was a challenge that night on the parkway to get traffic to slow down and move over,” Leslie Osche said. “If you come upon a scene where first responders are assisting someone, if you see lights, if you see flares, please pay attention. … Move over.”

View the full story at butlereagle.com

As part of a news conference about Crash Responder Safety Week on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioner and chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, tells how her son state Trooper Joshua Osche was seriously injured at an accident scene on the Parkway West in August.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Joshua Osche was off duty and traveling on the Parkway West in Robinson just after 11:30 p.m. Aug. 24 when he came upon an accident scene, pulled over, put on a safety vest and got out to help.

Osche was trying to lay light sticks on the ground to mark the area for other drivers when he was struck by another vehicle. He flipped over it and was thrown into the middle of a highway filled with traffic from a concert at The Pavilion at Star Lake. Tow truck driver Blair Johnson rescued Osche by dragging him to the median divider until more help could arrive, but the trooper is still recovering from two broken legs and other injuries he received that night.

Leslie Osche, the trooper’s mother, who also is a Butler County commissioner and chairwoman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, told that harrowing story at a news conference the commission held at its Strip District headquarters Tuesday to promote Crash Responder Safety Week. The commission reviews transportation projects for federal funding in a 10-county area, but its other duties include running the traffic incident management program that holds monthly meetings to discuss best practices to keep emergency responders safe.

Leslie Oshe was among several speakers who urged motorists to follow the law by slowing down around emergency situations. This year, 34 people have died across the country while responding to emergencies.

Osche said she believes “divine providence” allowed her son to be saved so he and the family can do their part to encourage drivers to be cautious around emergency scenes. The trooper is expected to make a full recovery and already is working behind the scenes doing analysis of cellular records and other investigative data work.

“He will make it. He will be fine,” the commissioner said. “Please slow down. Please pay attention. Follow the law.”

Quoting from the state Motor Vehicle Code, Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said drivers have a “duty” to slow down and move to at least the next lane to avoid causing additional problems at an emergency site. State police will make a special effort to make sure motorists are following those practices during the upcoming holiday season, he said, and will issue tickets to drivers who don’t cooperate.

“We will be watching and doing our duty if you don’t want to do yours,” he said.

Paul A. Sabol recounted other close calls in the Pittsburgh area recently and one fatality, Husam Shuibat, 53, a veteran tow driver who was hit along the Parkway West on Aug. 17. Those accidents are avoidable, Sabol said.

“Move over and slow down,” he said. “Let us do our jobs.”

Read the full story at unionprogress.com

Renewed calls are coming for lawmakers to consider first responder safety on the road after an off-duty state trooper was hit by a car while helping a driver on the side of the Parkway West in August.

A state trooper in Butler County says that he was heading home from a concert when he stopped in his personal car to help at an accident involving a car and tow truck. When he got out of his car with his safety vest and was setting up to divert traffic, he was hit.

“It had to be a split second later I saw the headlights and I was airborne over top of the car,” Trooper Josh Osche said.

Both of his legs were broken and the tow truck driver Blair Johnson dragged him off the road to safety.

“I owe my life to him I’m certain of that because there was a bunch of traffic coming up in the other lane,” Trooper Osche said. “So I’m without question alive today because of what he did for me.”

Today, his mom Leslie Osche, who’s also a Butler County commissioner, shared his story at an event for Crash Responder Safety Week at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

“We believe as a family of first responders and officials that we have a responsibility and duty here to make sure people understand what this means to families and what happens,” Leslie Osche said.

She wants drivers to be more aware during traffic incidents.

As Trooper Osche recovers, he says he does not regret what he did that night.

“Had I not been there, there could have been a vehicle-on-vehicle collision, there could have been people killed. I survived and I’m satisfied with that,” Trooper Osche said.

Channel 11′s Jillian Hartmann spoke with the tow truck driver on the phone Tuesday afternoon. He said when he saw the trooper hit, it was his gut reaction to run out into the middle of the parkway to save him. He said he would do it again if he had to.

View the full story at wpxi.com

An upcoming event in Pittsburgh will include remarks from a local official.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission is holding a press conference to raise awareness and call attention to Crash Responder Safety Week on Tuesday morning in the Strip District.

Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will briefly share remarks about her son, PA State Trooper Joshua Osche, who is recovering from an injury sustained in August while responding off-duty to a crash in Robinson Township.

The event will also include first responders from area emergency response and law enforcement agencies discussing simple steps everyone can take to keep everyone safe during traffic incidents.

View the full story at butlerradio.com

The Pittsburgh Robotics Network recently announced the appointment of Jennifer Apicella as executive director. She has been serving as interim executive director since May and previously held the position of vice president of partnerships and programs.

The Pittsburgh Robotics Network serves as the nexus for over 140 robotics organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh region.

“Our region’s robotics cluster is one of the most advanced and innovative in the world, and I am delighted to be able to expand this work, fostering a community that facilitates new opportunities for commercial growth and industry partnerships to accelerate the adoption of robotic solutions across the globe,” says Apicella.

In June, the Pittsburgh Robotics Network announced a strategic partnership with Denmark’s Odense Robotics that’s aimed at generating transatlantic business growth opportunities and solidifying ties between the two global robotics ecosystems.

Apicella’s promotion comes as the PRN gears up for the Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day on Nov. 16. The event, free to the public, takes place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It will feature over 130 exhibitors including notable organizations such as Aurora, Agility Robotics and Carnegie Mellon University.

Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day is supported by partnerships with the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Innovation Works and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

View the full story at businessjournaldaily.com