Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) runs the commonwealth’s transportation system. It was created on July 1, 1970, by uniting several agencies and now oversees highways, bridges, traffic safety, aviation, rail, mass transit, and driver licensing. The department’s headquarters are in Harrisburg at the Commonwealth Keystone Building, and the Secretary of Transportation is Michael B. Carroll.

PennDOT manages about 40,000 miles of state roads and roughly 25,400 bridges. It also supports air travel, rail freight, public transportation, and the state’s ports in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie. The department funds transportation projects with money from federal and state sources, supported in part by motor fuel taxes.

In addition to roads and bridges, PennDOT handles motor vehicle safety and licensing. It operates Driver and Vehicle Services, which runs Driver and Photo License Centers (75 centers) and Photo License Centers (26 centers). Vehicle title transfers and most registrations are handled through a network of private messenger services, though the Harrisburg headquarters has a large room for motor vehicle and driver licensing services.

PennDOT is organized into five main divisions: Highway Administration, Driver & Vehicle Services, Planning, Multimodal Transportation, and Administration. It also works through ten engineering districts and a Planning unit that shapes a long-term transportation plan. The Multimodal division oversees aviation, rail, public transit, ports, and bike/pedestrian projects, while the department funds intercity rail service along the Keystone Corridor, including Amtrak’s Keystone Service and The Pennsylvanian.

The department has faced criticism over road conditions in the past, but it has undertaken programs to improve infrastructure, such as the Rapid Bridge Replacement project in partnership with private firms to fix bridges more quickly. Overall, PennDOT manages thousands of miles of roads and bridges across the state and coordinates transportation in partnership with local governments and other agencies.