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Red Light Cameras In Philadelphia To Benefit Western Pa.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Drivers running red lights in Philadelphia is turning out to be a good thing for our area.

Several local roads will receive safety upgrades thanks to traffic fines on the other side of the state.

Cities all across the country have installed cameras to catch drivers going right through red lights. We don't have any here in the Pittsburgh area, but there are nearly two dozen in Philadelphia.

Now, fines from those cameras are going to have an impact on this side of the state.

According to PennDOT, more than $420,000 in automated red light enforcement funding will be distributed in our area.

That money will mostly go to projects involving traffic signal upgrades.

One of those locations is in McKees Rocks.

More than $117,000 will be spent to improve the signals through the Chartiers Avenue Business District.

"Traffic signals in Pennsylvania are owned and maintained by local municipalities, obviously some of those smaller municipalities are not able to keep up with some of that infrastructure, so this money is definitely beneficial to them," Jim Struzzi with PennDOT said.

The other locations receiving money:

More than $53,000 will go to Glassport for a safety improvement project to upgrade signals on Monongahela Avenue.

Millvale will receive over $45,000 for signal work on North Avenue.

And $32,000 will go the Township of Richland to upgrade several traffic signals to LED.

"As they continue to collect fees from people running red lights in Philadelphia region, more money will be available and that will benefit the entire state," Struzzi said.

This region isn't the only area that will be receiving some of this money. Statewide, about $4.7 million will be handed out to 43 municipalities.

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