PITTSBURGH — Channel 11 is pushing for accountability after three wrong-way crashes happened within a week on multiple major roadways in our region.
Over the last few days, there have been three wrong-way crashes on major roadways.
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“Three in a week. That’s way more that we have ever seen in our region in years,” Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson, Rocco Gigliardi told Channel 11.
In 2023, Penn DOT reported 53 wrong-way accidents, resulting in 15 fatalities and 18 serious injuries.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s really a decision that somebody makes to go up the ramp the wrong way,” Evan Schloss told Channel 11.
Schoss is the manager of transportation operations with the Southwestern Pennsylvanian Commission, and he helped program PennDOT’s “wrong way detection system” project on 28.
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It’s an intelligence system that has sensors, detectors, and cameras that can detect a wrong-way driver, which triggers signs and lights, alerting the driver that they’re driving in the wrong direction.
“On a state-wide level, they flagged us about the corridor itself, so that’s when we really started, what can we do in addition to what we’ve already done out on that corridor to provide the safest route,” Stephanie Zolnak said.
Traffic engineer Stephanie Zolnak with PennDOT told Channel 11 that they are also installing a wrong-way detection system on the Parkway East, from the Fort Pitt Bridge, all the way to the Turnpike.
As for where future detection systems could be installed, it’s up to the data.
“It’s tracking over time to determine where the next hot spot is going to be. And I think that’s what we are seeing is the randomness of it,” Schloss said.
To Schoss, combating the wrong-way crash problem is a layered approach.
“I think the education is going to be the number one thing. We’ve seen through the engineering with the wrong way detection system. It’s a multi-faceted approach where it’s safe drivers, safe speeds, better response time.”
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