Pittsburgh Regional Transit on Monday rolled out a new vision for its network in Allegheny County that proposed to boost service every 30 minutes to some routes, increase weekend service and add more single-seat bus rides to Oakland.

Draft Network 1.0 is part of PRT’s long-range plan released in 2021 and is going to be taking public comment over the next few months before announcing the final route network in 2025 and then starting to put the changes into place in 2026.

It would be the first redesign of the PRT routes in a decade. Pittsburgh transit advocates have been urging changes to the routes and timing to better service the community.

“The draft network reflects a collaborative, data-driven approach aimed at answering key questions – where our bus routes should go, when should they operate and how frequently should they run,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman in a statement. “We’re eager to receive public feedback and make these improvements as soon as possible.”

There will be several in-person and online meetings to go through the proposed changes and to solicit public comment, beginning with an Oct. 16 hearing in Schenley Plaza in Oakland.

Another feature will be microtransit zones that will connect smaller communities with less-than-bus service with the help of a $4 million pilot grant from Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

You can see more details of the proposed changes on the PRT website.

“Allegheny County has changed a lot over the last decade. By redesigning the network to reflect where people live and work today, we’re making sure public transit plays a critical role in creating a more equitable and inclusive future,” PRT’s Chief Development Officer Amy Silbermann in a statement.

View the full article at bizjournals.com.

Armstrong County Commissioner Chairman John Strate, Commissioner Vice Chairman Anthony Shea and Commissioner Secretary Pat Fabian participated in a joint visit consisting of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) and Allegheny Conference in front of national leaders to advocate for economic development within the region.

The two-day trip started with a PA Business Leadership event at the White House.

The PA contingent of business and elected leaders met with various senior administration economic advisors to include Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves.

The group focused on the development of regional infrastructure ranging from roads, bridges, water, sewage and internet access.

The deputy secretary related robust infrastructure is key for the country to remain competitive on the world stage.

The deputy secretary fielded numerous questions and concerns ranging from the viability of EV waste trucks to emergent technologies for expanding broadband access in support of telemedicine.

On the second day of the visit, the delegation met with various legislative leaders at the Capital Building.

The day started with a breakfast event with Stefani Pashman/Allegheny Conference CEO, Pat Fabian/SPC Board Chairman, Rich Fitzgerald/SPC CEO, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, and Phil Murphy/Senior Advisor to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as featured speakers. Key topics discussed were how to attract and expand business outside of existing pockets within the region, and how to showcase the advantages the Western Pennsylvania region has to offer to site selectors.

The delegation then met with various lawmakers at their Congressional offices at the Capital. Commissioners Strate, Shea and Fabian joined several of these office calls to include U.S. Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R-14th), Chris Deluzio (D-17th) and GT Thompson (R-15th). In the meeting with Rep. Deluzio, Commissioner Strate expressed concerns about the lack of EMS resources in and around the northern part of Armstrong County. Commissioner Strate talked of how several of the Dayton volunteer fireman have picked up EMS skills at their own expense. In the same meeting, Commissioner Shea talked about the growth of the areas trails; he also talked about the ARDC public private partnership for the county’s locks and dams and that both the trails and locks are important to the area’s tourism growth.

Representative Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, who chairs the House Agricultural Committee, discussed the upcoming farm bill. Rep. Thompson related he looked at generating agriculture legislation through a science and technology lens. Commissioner Fabian advocated for the Allegheny River getting additional resources regarding updated lock infrastructure similar to other regions, as well as expanded service. Commissioner Shea related remote lock technologies may offer a long-term solution to open up Armstrong County locks and dams to recreational boaters. A question was asked about dredging the river, the Congressman advised this issue is being looked at closely. Commissioner Shea talked of the need to complete the bike trail flyover in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, which is needed to connect the Freeport to Butler Trail and Armstrong Trails into one 126-mile contiguous trail from Butler to Brookville, along with the Leechburg connector. The ultimate goal for the region is to fully complete the 270-mile Erie to Pittsburgh Trail which will have an estimated one million bikers passing through Armstrong County annually.

The various meetings over the two days event allowed the commissioners to network with a plethora of business and government leaders. The commissioners were able to garner follow-up meetings with broadband providers and identify potential grant source leads. The next public Armstrong County Commissioner meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. in the Commissioner Conference Room at the Courthouse Annex in Kittanning.

View the full article at leadertimes.com.

Our Executive Director, Rich Fitzgerald, returned for his weekly spot on KDKA Newsradio with Larry Richert to talk regional news. The show featured Dr. Roger Davis, President of Community College of Beaver County, who joined the show to highlight CCBC’s recent expansion into Washington County PA and other developments at the college. This expansion has created accessible education and career pathways for residents of Washington, Fayette, and Greene Counties.

View the full story at audacy.com.

Our Executive Director, Rich Fitzgerald, returned for his weekly spot on KDKA Newsradio with Larry Richert to talk regional news. The show featured Robert Cherry, CEO of Partner4Work, who joined the show to discuss a first-of-its-kind EV apprenticeship program in the country. The program is a collaboration between local stakeholders that include Partner4Work, the Community College of Allegheny County and the German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh chapter.

View the full story at audacy.com.

The Indiana County Board of Commissioners approved four proclamations Wednesday.

• On the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist bombings, one proclamation designated Indiana County as a Green Light for Veterans county, honoring “the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform who have transitioned or will transition from active service.”

Indiana County’s new Director of Veterans Affairs Jessica Walker said 9/11 “ultimately changed the course of this country, changed my life and changed my husband’s life.” She said 5,000 veterans now live in Indiana County.

Commissioner Sherene Hess said a cousin in Centre County, Adam Hartswick, “is now a mentor to others,” after losing his legs in the explosion of an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2013. “He was barely over 18,” Hess said. “He came back to join a program where he would mentor others.”

• On the eve of an annual “Walk for a Wonderful Life,” a proclamation was approved marking Sept. 8-14 as Suicide Prevention Week, recognizing “suicide as a public health problem, and suicide prevention as a community responsibility.”

The week ends with the 12th annual Walk for a Wonderful Life Sunday in Mack Park, a fund-raising event which Indiana County Suicide Task Force Co-Chair Chelsey Baroni said is being expanded this year, beyond advertising now run on the radio, billboards and masks.

• Another proclamation marked National Transportation Demand Management week, marking how strategies are used “to inform and encourage travelers to maximize the efficiency of a transportation system leading to improved mobility, reduced congestion and lower vehicle emissions.”

Receiving the proclamation was Ronda Craig, public involvement coordinator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional organization that helps local governments access state and federal funding for transportation and economic development projects in 10 counties around Pittsburgh, including Indiana, Armstrong and Westmoreland.

• A fourth proclamation marked Constitution Week from Sept. 17 to 23, including Sept. 17 which is the 237th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States, “the guardian of our liberties,” which “embodies the principles of limited government in a republic dedicated to rule by law.”

Receiving the proclamation were Indiana County Daughters of the American Revolution Regent Debbie Bier and Past Regent Darla Mechling.
 
Bier said the DAR campaigned for a week marking the Constitution in the 1956, when a law marking Constitution Week was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
 
Bier said work has been going on for more than a year on a plaque that will honor patriots buried in Indiana County. She said 141 patriots have been found so far.
 
In other business Wednesday, the commissioners approved reappointment of John Somonick and John German to the board of Indiana County Parks & Trails for terms to expire in August 2019.
 
They also approved the reappointments of Indiana County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard, Wright-Knox Motor Lines President Gladys Knox and Nelson & Associates Insurance Director of Operations Jack Nelson to the Tri-County Workforce Development Board for terms expiring in September 2027.
 
They authorized an application on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office for the 2025 Rights and Services Act Grant, seeking $71,151, most of which will cover salary and benefits for a full-time victim witness coordinator, as well as $641 for training for a victim service staff and $1,213 for office supplies.
 
And they approved multiple requests for Indiana County Children and Youth Services, including a 2024-25 non-placement listing for Justice Works Youthcare in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, to be facilitator and host for Act 33 child fatality/near fatality review meetings at a rate of $450 per meeting.
 
Also for CYS, 2024-25 foster care placement listing renewals were approved for:

• Family Cares for Children and Youth in Milton, Northumberland County.
   
• LifeSpan Family Services in Punxsutawney.
   
• Professional Family Care Services Inc. in Johnstown.
   
  Also approved were group home placements for 2024-25 with:
   
• Pentz Run Youth Services Inc. in DuBois for its Supervised Independent Living and Transitional Living programs.
   
• George Junior Republic in Pennsylvania, in Grove City, for males ages 10-21.

Also approved for CYS was a new contract for 2024-25 with Altior Healthcare-Innercept of Los Angeles, Calif., providing a residential setting for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment for teenage youth at a location in Idaho.

View the full article at indianagazette.com.

Change comes in both words and deeds – and that’s Southwestern Pennsylvania’s economic development approach. 

Western Pennsylvania’s economic stewards have a vehicle in the New Economy Collaborative (NEC) of Southwestern Pennsylvania, a public-private partnership created to administer the $62.7 million Build Back Better grant from the federal government announced back in 2022.

The big goal of the project? Help Pennsylvanians transition into jobs expected to grow, and goad the state’s manufacturing businesses into investing.

Big regional executives have shaped strategy. Prominent federal leaders have visited. The first waves of beneficiaries of the programs backed by the funds have graduated. 

Halfway through the project timeline, the Allegheny Conference-housed NEC is launching a marketing campaign to reach more Pennsylvanians — and Technical.ly is playing a role, too.

To start, NEC has launched an updated website. Find that here.

That site is a general clearinghouse of opportunities. For insiders curious about how the program works in detail, those grants’ deeds are playing out across five projects:

1. SME Robotics Adoption, led by Catalyst Connection: A $4.8 million initiative to enhance regional competitiveness by integrating Pennsylvania’s robotics innovations into small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across various industries, with a focus on urban and rural areas.
2. Robotics Manufacturing Hub, led by the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute: A $14.2 million project aimed at de-risking robotics adoption in SMEs, establishing regional Innovation Accelerators and strengthening manufacturing resilience and global competitiveness.
3. Expanded Pathways to New Economy Careers, led by Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission: A $24.8 million effort to create a coordinated upskilling system, offering non-traditional training options that evolve with industry needs, fostering a robust robotics and autonomous career ecosystem.
4. The Robotics Factory, led by Innovation Works: A $12 million grant to bolster Pittsburgh’s robotics ecosystem by supporting startups through seed funding and scaling up manufacturing, positioning the region as a global robotics leader.
5. Expanded Pathways to Entrepreneurship, led by InnovatePGH: A $6.9 million program to increase minority and women-owned business participation in the robotics industry, offering academic fellowships and entrepreneurial training to underrepresented populations.

Boosters boast that their strength is funding existing entities, so credible work can get done quickly. Each has pushed out examples of their work. Now, they’re aiming to grow the work faster.

To do that, the NEC is kicking off this marketing campaign that will run the remaining two years of the grant, into late 2026. The purpose of that program is to amplify the projects’ success stories to encourage others to participate. 

This is where Technical.ly will play a big role. Over the next few months, our newsroom will profile a series of Western Pennsylvania residents who have benefited from the programs to join advanced manufacturing roles. That sort of coverage — like the one we published this week — is well within our editorial strengths and priorities, and so it fit neatly with our journalistic approach. 

From there, the marketing team that enlisted us — whip-smart digital marketer Maddi Love and her team, as well as Warhol Creative — will take those and other people stories to market on social and in video to broaden the narrative.

The goal: That more residents benefit from the program. The thought: Deeds have started, now get the stories out — and that will change the narrative.

View the full story at technical.ly.

Our Executive Director, Rich Fitzgerald, returned for his weekly spot on KDKA Newsradio with Larry Richert to talk regional news.
 
This week’s show featured Audrey Russo, President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Audrey talked about #SWPA’s booming tech industry and the region’s transformation into an innovation hub.
 
Also on the show was Jennifer Apicella, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network. Jennifer talked about the region’s history of robotic development and why companies want to invest here. 

View the full story at audacy.com.

The good news about traffic deaths after the pandemic is continuing: Preliminary figures through the second quarter this year show deaths declined another 3.2%, the ninth straight quarter that deaths have gone down.
 
That’s a marked difference from the pandemic, when reduced traffic and lack of enforcement seemed to encourage motorists to engage in dangerous activities on empty roads such as speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving. That led to some of the highest increases in traffic deaths since federal agencies started keeping statistics in the 1970s after nearly a decade of regular declines.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg released the death figures Wednesday during a media briefing about the agency releasing $1 billion in grants under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. Buttigieg said those grants and other measures taken by the department over the past two years are part of the reason for the decrease in traffic deaths that will be released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration on Thursday.
 
NHTSA estimates show 18,720 people died on the nation’s roadways through June. That’s 610 fewer than the first six months of 2023.
 
The grant program is part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan and part of USDOT’s Vision Zero effort to eliminate all traffic deaths. This round of funding will help pay for planning or implementation of 354 safety programs across the country, including $1.3 million for planning in Pittsburgh.
 
Buttigieg said the traffic death numbers are “the most heartbreaking” aspect of the department’s work but also the area for the “most opportunity” for improvements. Providing federal money directly to local communities is an important part of improving safety, he said.
 
“No one knows better what the local community needs are,” said Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. “The ideas don’t come from us, but the money has to.”
 
Steve Benjamin, President Joe Biden’s director of public engagement, agreed.
 
“It puts funding directly in the hands of people who need it to make their communities safer,” he said.
 
The money is designed to help underserved communities and rural areas, and so far about 43% of the funds have gone to communities with under 50,000 residents.
 
For example, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the $13.2 million his community will receive will be used to reduce pedestrian deaths, where the city ranks third in the nation. Specifically, it will be used to close one street at a particularly dangerous intersection where three roads come together near a 15-acre park.
 
The city will contribute $3.2 million to the project.
 
In another project, rural Kalamazoo County, Michigan, will use $25 million to improve about 130 miles of roadways where 74 people have died over the past five years. Half of those deaths involved vehicles running off the road and crashing.
 
In Pittsburgh, the $1.3 million grant will be used to work with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and Carnegie Mellon University to develop safety programs, Olga George, press secretary for Mayor Ed Gainey, said in an email. The city joined the international Vision Zero Network in March.
 
With SPC, the city will develop safety programs as part of the agency’s countywide comprehensive safety action plan. That will include working with CMU to on two supplemental planning projects and three demonstration projects, including a Vision Zero ambassador program and two quick-build multimodal safety demonstration projects.
 
Other projects under development include a road safety audit to identify 10 high-injury corridors, a Complete Streets design manual with safety guidelines, and roadway reconfiguration on commercial streets in East Liberty and Downtown Pittsburgh.
 
Two other communities in Pennsylvania received implementation grants. State College will receive $15.9 million to make Calder Way a safer street for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians by reducing the speed limit, widening sidewalks, and eliminating curbs while Harrisburg’s $955,184 will help pay for retiming traffic signals at 25 intersections in underserved downtown neighborhoods.

View the full article at unionprogress.com.

Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Rich Fitzgerald, joins Larry Richert in the KDKA radio studio each Wednesday morning.
 
On this week’s show, Bob Kerlik, Director of Public Affairs at the Allegheny County Airport Authority was on to talk about the airport modernization program. Kelsey Ripper, Executive Director of Friends of the Riverfront dialed in to discuss a recent kayaking event through a lock on the Allegheny River.

View the full story at audacy.com.

The Butler Transit Authority board voted in August to apply for up to $2.6 million to purchase up to four new buses to increase the number of trips available in the five local routes.

The application is being made to the state Department of Transportation, which will rule on whether or not to grant the $2.6 million request.

John Paul, executive director of the transit authority, said Friday, Aug. 30, that he will request a study from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission which will help determine how much money the authority will need. Paul said the transit authority has six buses for the local routes, and additional buses would not only give riders more frequent route departures, but could expand routes as well.

“Right now they make trips about every hour; if we could put a bus out in between, then service people would be able to use it every half hour, which would drive ridership and add convenience,” Paul said. “I’m going to look at morning and afternoon service to East Butler, and then use those buses midday and later in the day to have expanded service locally.”

Paul said he does not know how long it will take for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to complete the study, so it may be a while before the authority actually submits its funding request to PennDOT.

According to Paul, more time options for trips has been a frequent request from riders of the local service.

“That’s always been a request here for the service,” he said.

View the full article at butlereagle.com.