A new technology has made it safer for Pennsylvania Turnpike cleanup crews to clear debris from the highway in Montgomery County and statewide, writes Mike DeNardo for KYW Newsradio.

Around 7,000 times each year, Pennsylvania Turnpike crews are called to remove items blocking a lane. The things found on the road range from ladders to mattresses to deer carcasses and anything else imaginable.

Usually, this removal can be dangerous for Turnpike workers, such as Ralph Valenteen.

“We have a lot of cattle shoots,” he said. “It’s just two walls and two lanes. You have no shoulder to go to, nothing.”

To make their jobs safer, the Turnpike has been using the LaneBlade on its trucks for the past two years. The device resembles a plow with ends that fold in, an action done by pressing a button inside the truck. This means that crews no longer have to leave their truck to clear debris.

The technology also has a screen and an infrared camera for nighttime.

Debris creates danger for motorists when a driver is speeding along an enclosed highway.

“People are less attentive to what’s happening,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey.

Read more about the new technology making debris pickup safer and more efficient in KYW Newsradio.

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