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    STIC Incentive Program Funding Moving the Needle on Innovation in Pennsylvania

    An aerial image of a large track and several different building located around the track. Text and arrows pointing to the buildings indicate what will be housed in each building.

    The State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) facilitates the rapid implementation of proven, well-researched and documented state, regional, national and international transportation innovations that are new to Pennsylvania. The STIC also supports and promotes the implementation of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) innovations.

    How far can $125,000 go to advancing innovation in Pennsylvania? Since 2014, Pennsylvania has continued its effective use of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) STIC Incentive Program funding to advance a number of transportation innovation projects.

    Innovative tools and techniques are proven to help reduce congestion, accelerate construction, enhance sustainability, and ultimately save lives. STIC Incentive Program funding is one of many tools that help provide resources to promote a culture of innovation across Pennsylvania. Rapid innovation development and deployment of these innovations is also a key factor to the success of the STIC. This funding can support and offset costs and push innovations across the finish line.

    In Pennsylvania, STIC Incentive Program funding has been used to develop training programs, update innovation specifications, create strategic plans and facilitate business plans, pilot and upgrade technology, develop design procedures and tools, and host innovation-sharing events.

    To learn about recent STIC Incentive Program projects, select the name of the project below. 

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    Driving the Future: How PennSTART is Shaping Emerging Transportation Technologies

    Creating a national hub for innovation 45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, PennDOT and its partners, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University and Westmoreland County, recently broke ground on the Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART) vehicle testing facility in Westmoreland County. 

    an image of two yellow bulldozers moving dirt and leveling the ground. A large distribution facility sits in the background. PennDOT and its partners recently broke ground on the Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART) vehicle testing facility in Westmoreland County.

    PennSTART will be a closed loop, state-of-the-art testing facility designed to accelerate innovation in emerging transportation technology, improve the safety and efficiency of transportation infrastructure, enhance traffic incident management training, and support regional economic development.  

    “As technologies change, the ways that drivers and first responders interact with transportation infrastructure change as well,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “PennSTART will be the testing ground for next-gen innovations designed to make our roads safer and more connected.”

    PennSTART will not only serve as a training facility for Pennsylvania's 54,000 first responders, but a national hub for emerging technology and economic opportunity. It merges a high-speed test track and multiple specialized testing grounds within a single, innovative environment. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed and open in fall 2026 with the high-speed test track and user defined testing area.

    PennSTART received FHWA STIC Incentive Program funding in 2017 and 2018 to complete a system engineering analysis of the facility by developing a concept of operations, use cases, and a business plan on facility requirements and operations. PennDOT is providing $14 million in funding, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is providing another $8 million towards the construction of the facility.

    Westmoreland County also recently announced they were awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant for approximately $3.7 million. The grant will support training and research at PennSTART and RIDC’s Westmoreland Innovation Center. This award will be used by Westmoreland County to develop a modernized, AI-enabled Traffic Incident Management (TIM) system and pilot TIM trainings and tools. PennSTART will provide simulator-based and field trainings for approximately 1,000 responders and pilot the system in high-risk corridors to reduce detection and clearance times, improve responder safety, and produce a statewide deployment plan. 

    Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management (TIM): Technology for Saving Lives – Debris Removal Systems 

    A side view of a yellow truck with a large piece of black metal affixed to the front sitting inside a garage.  The DebrisClear system was installed on a foreman’s truck to improve incident response in Allegheny County. 
    A side view of a white trick with a large piece of black metal affixed to the front sitting in a parking lot.  PennDOT’s Tunnel Maintenance organization in District 11 has been utilizing the Lane Blade to remove debris from roadways. 

    STIC Incentive Program funding is also being utilized to advance the EDC-7 Next Generation Traffic Incident Management: Technology for Saving Lives innovation by purchasing two Debris Removal Systems (DRS) to improve safety and expedite debris removal following roadway incidents in PennDOT’s District 11 tunnel maintenance organization. The DebrisClear was installed in August 2025 and is being evaluated to ensure it performs as expected. Anticipated benefits include safer and quicker roadway cleanup without exposing individuals to the hazards of live traffic. Following further evaluation, PennDOT plans to determine possible benefits of implementing DRS statewide.

    To further the Next Gen TIM innovation, FHWA awarded PennDOT $760,000 in Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration grant funding in late 2024 to integrate “cleaned” Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) data feeds from partners, such as the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and 911 Centers, into PennDOT’s Traffic Management Center (TMC) operations software. This project will not only provide incident information to the TMCs, but also improve intra-agency coordination, enhance incident management, and reduce incident response time.  

    PennDOT has begun developing the design for the system, including a Concept of Operations (ConOps) document as well as detailed requirements, which will be turned over to PennDOT’s Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) vendor for development. This process is being informed by a close partnership with the PSP, with the goal of PSP being the initial partner/proof of concept for the system. The new software functionality will allow the automated sharing of key dispatch information including incident type, location, and status directly with PennDOT TMC operators, allowing the operators to determine how PennDOT can best support incident response. It is anticipated that discovery calls with other CAD dispatchers will begin in 2026, allowing the system to be scaled to support additional partners beyond the initial PSP proof of concept.

    Fuel Resistant Highly Modified Asphalt Wearing Course for Amish Traffic Routes 

    In 2025, FHWA STIC Incentive Program funding was awarded to the Fuel Resistant Highly Modified Asphalt Wearing Course for Amish Traffic Routes project. This project involves identifying and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of a highly modified asphalt binder to improve the overall performance and service life of the pavement on routes heavily traveled by Amish horse and buggies.

    Pennsylvania is home to the largest population of Amish in the country and horse-drawn carriages are a common sight in several parts of the state. Areas with large Amish populations traditionally experience increased pavement deterioration due to the carbide caulkins being welded to horseshoes for added friction.  

    Current repair methods only last between one and five years, and maintenance crews have to frequently provide repairs via chip seal, spot patching or continuous paving repair.

    Fuel Resistant (FR) Highly Modified Asphalt, originally developed for use on airfields due to its resistance to rutting caused by jet fuel, uses twice the amount of polymer in the binder. It has been successfully used by other entities that have horsedrawn carriage or Amish buggy routes, including in New York City’s Central Park, the historic district in St. Augustine, Fla., and by the Delaware Department of Transportation. 

    While the product costs approximately 20 percent more than traditional asphalt mixes, it has the potential to significantly elongate pavement life on Amish buggy routes. 

    An image of a metal level sitting in the middle of a trough that has developed on the roadway. Grass, trees and houses are in the background of the photo.  Areas with large Amish populations traditionally experience increased pavement deterioration due to the carbide caulkins being welded to horseshoes for added friction. 
    An image of a two-lane, roadway with several cars following an Amish horse and buggy on the left-hand side and a metal level sitting in the middle of the roadway on the right-hand side showing a visible trough in the roadway.  Current repair methods only last between one and five years, and maintenance crews have to frequently provide repairs via chip seal, spot patching or continuous paving repair. 
    A close-up image of a metal level sitting on a roadway with a measuring tape up against it to show the trough that’s developed on the roadway.  The stress being applied to the carbide caulks on each of these horseshoes is not only breaking the aggregate in the pavement, but also dislodging it, creating a visible trough. 

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