PITTSBURGH, PA — Michael Baker International announces that the firm has been selected as the program manager for the Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART) by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC). PennSTART will be a comprehensive test track and research facility for traffic incident management training and for the research and testing of emerging transportation technology, such as automated vehicles. As the program manager, Michael Baker will develop a master plan for the facility, determine a project phasing and implementation strategy, prepare procurement documents for each of the project phases, and provide design and construction oversight services.

PennSTART is a unique partnership that was created among the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), Carnegie Mellon University, Westmoreland County, and RIDC. The program management project team led by Michael Baker also includes engineering consultants HDR, Inc. and BRPH, aviation specialist uAvionix, and mobility testing service provider Transportation Research Center, Inc.

PennSTART will be located at RIDC's Westmoreland Innovation Center in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and will feature a high-speed track, in-field testing, and several proving ground areas for testing and training under various scenarios. The facility will address safety training and research needs in several key areas: traffic incident management; tolling and intelligent transportation systems technology; work zones; commercial vehicles; transit vehicles; advanced air mobility; and connected and automated vehicles. PennSTART will benefit emergency and first responders, technology developers, public agencies, and research institutions.