- The expiration date for a commercial learner’s permit scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020, through February 22, 2021, is extended through February 22, 2021.
- The expiration date for commercial driver licenses scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020, through February 22, 2021, is extended through February 22, 2021.
Fall 2020 Construction Update
Fall 2020 Construction Update
Eastbound Paving to Finish this Fall
Fall 2020 – With the structural repairs completed on the eastbound side of the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill River, the contractor will finish placing the Latex Modified Concrete (LMC) riding surface and finish construction of the protected sidewalk/bicycle lane on the bridge’s eastbound side this fall.
Due to delays caused by COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the addition of a curb-protected westbound bicycle lane, the completion date of the project has been pushed back from this fall to spring 2021. Next spring, the contractor will mill and pave the bridge’s approaches, install new traffic signals on Grays Ferry Avenue at the bridge, and complete installation of protected bicycle lanes on the westbound side.

PennDOT anticipates that a modular curb system with flexible delineator posts will be installed by the end of April 2021 on the westbound side of the bridge. This safety enhancement, which will complement the protected pedestrian/bicycling lane on the eastbound side of the bridge, will make the boundary between the westbound bike lane and the adjacent vehicular traffic lane more visible to both drivers and bicyclists.

Over the past two construction seasons, PennDOT’s contractor has replaced the bridge’s expansion dams, which allow normal expansion and contraction of the bridge deck’s concrete slabs due to seasonal changes in temperature, repaired the bridge’s drainage system, and refurbished the bridge’s steel structural components.
Rehabilitation of the westbound side of the bridge finished in 2019.
In addition to bridge deck and superstructure repairs, crews also have repaired the concrete abutments and support columns underneath the bridge.

Completion of “punch list” construction items will wrap-up the $13.3 million rehabilitation in late 2021.
Notice
PennDOT Installing Westbound Protected Bike Lane in Spring 2021
October 2020 – PennDOT anticipates that a modular curb system with flexible delineator posts will be installed in Spring 2021 on the westbound side of the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill River. This project safety enhancement will make the boundary between the westbound bike lane and the adjacent vehicular traffic lane more visible to both drivers and bicyclists.
The below photo is an example of the modular curb system with flexible delineator posts that will be installed on the westbound side of the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill River.

Federal REAL ID Enforcement Deadline Postponed to October 2021
Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that the Department of Homeland Security has postponed the enforcement date for REAL ID from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021, in response to COVID-19 and the national emergency declaration.
PennDOT closed all driver and photo license centers on March 16 and paused REAL ID issuance in the state out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of public health. Centers will reopen no sooner than April 3. PennDOT also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, requesting that the agency consider extending the October 1, 2020 REAL ID enforcement deadline.
“We are very pleased that the Department of Homeland Security has listened to our concerns, as well as the concerns from our fellow states regarding the need for a postponement on REAL ID enforcement in the midst of this national emergency,” said PennDOT Acting Secretary Yassmin Gramian.
REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes. A federally-acceptable form of identification (whether it’s a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a valid U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a military ID, etc.) must now be used on and after October 1, 2021, as identification to board a commercial flight or visit a secure federal building that requires a federally acceptable form of identification ID for access.
REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania. There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID; PennDOT will continue to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs once issuance has resumed.
More information about document requirements, including a printable document checklist, can be found on the Document Check page of the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website.
Customers may complete various transactions and access multiple resources via www.dmv.pa.gov.
Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.
Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Underway
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) today announced that enforcement of the statewide Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program begins next week. Today marks the end of a 60-day pre-enforcement period that was required by Act 86 of 2018, which established the AWZSE program.
“Through the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program, we are urging motorists to slow down and pay attention while driving, especially through work zones where roadway conditions can change on a daily basis,” said acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “In 2018, 23 motorists were killed in a Pennsylvania work zone. Ultimately, this program is not about issuing violations, it’s about saving lives.”
Pennsylvania’s AWZSE program uses vehicle-mounted systems to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more using electronic speed timing devices. AWZSE systems are only operational in active work zones where workers are present. Beginning today, registered owners will receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice and $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice and $150 fine for third and subsequent offenses. These violations are civil penalties only; no points will be assessed to driver’s licenses.
Work zones are selected to maximize the effectiveness of the systems and will be marked with signage in advance of the enforcement area. Additionally, locations are posted on the project website, WorkZoneCameras.PennDOT.gov.
“While there can be fines assessed, the AWZSE program’s goal is not to generate revenue,” explained PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “The goal is to build awareness and most importantly, to change unsafe driving behaviors. The program serves as a roadway reminder that safety is literally in each driver’s hands when they are behind the wheel.”
In 2018, there were 1,804 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 23 fatalities, and 43 percent of work zone crashes resulted in fatalities and/or injuries. Since 1970, PennDOT has lost 89 workers in the line of duty. The PA Turnpike has lost 45 workers since 1945.
For more information on the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program, including a list of projects where the units are deployed, visit WorkZoneCameras.PennDOT.gov.
Winter 2019/2020 Construction Update
Winter 2019/2020 Construction Update
Construction Continues on Eastbound Side
Winter 2019/2020 — With repairs completed to the westbound side of the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia, two lanes of traffic have been shifted onto the rehabilitated westbound lanes as the contractor continues to repair the eastbound side of the span.
During the current construction stage, crews are replacing the existing expansion dams, which allow normal expansion and contraction of the bridge deck’s individual concrete slabs due to seasonal changes in temperature.

The eastbound deck’s pavement overlay has been removed to allow workers to repair deteriorated areas of the existing deck.
The bridge’s drainage system also is being replaced.
The contractor also has begun repairs to the deck’s steel structural components and replacement of deteriorated “beam seats”, where the structural members rest atop the concrete support piers.

In addition to bridge deck and superstructure repairs, crews also continue repairs to the concrete abutments and support columns underneath the bridge.
As part of the improvements to the bridge, PennDOT will install a 10’-wide, barrier protected pedestrian/bicycling lane to the eastbound side of the bridge once the structural repairs are completed and the final pavement overlay is applied. The protected lane will connect directly with access to the Schuylkill River Trail that runs under the bridge.
The project is expected to be completed in late 2020.