PITTSBURGH — Most of the nearly 700 cameras that Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has mounted along the state’s roadways are viewable online, but Target 11 investigator Rick Earle learned that some area drivers are being left out while taxpayers are hit with a $1 million bill.
The $10.3 million project linking Interstate 70 from New Stanton to the West Virginia state line, and Interstate 79 from Washington to West Virginia was supposed to be finished two years ago. Video cameras installed along those interstates were also supposed to be streaming online for drivers to view at this point, but Earle learned that has yet to happen.
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“It has been frustrating because obviously we want to deploy the new technology quickly and get it out to the public,” PennDOT District Executive Dan Cessna said.
According to Cessna, while the Traffic Management Center in Bridgeville has access to the cameras, the system isn't reliable enough yet to put on the state's 511 website for public viewing.
Since many of the cameras are in rural areas, PennDOT opted for a wireless system instead of the more reliable fiber-optic system. Cessna said there have been issues, including the video image occasionally freezing.
"The reliability of those wireless connections because of topography, the distance of some of the connectivity has been a real challenge for us and, in fact, much more challenging than we expected,” Cessna said.
Earle discovered the delay is costing taxpayers money. So far, the state has had to chip in an additional $1.2 million.
“It's my money. It's taxpayers’ money, and it could be better spent. We have bridges that need to be repaired. We have roads that need to be repaired,” taxpayer Pam Todd said.
PennDOT officials said they’re working on the system every day in hopes of getting it online soon.