PennDOT's 50-year celebration is coming to a close as we begin our 51st year as a state agency today.
PennDOT was established on July 1, 1970, but Pennsylvania's rich transportation industry began long before our agency was created. By viewing our timeline at PennDOT.gov/50years, you can learn about major milestones spanning the early 1900s through today. We cover everything from the inauguration of the Rural Roads Program in the 1930s to modern milestones like the use of drones and facial recognition technology.
None of those achievements would be possible without the dedicated employees who spent their careers serving the commonwealth. To honor their legacy and see PennDOT's evolution throughout their tenure, we interviewed some of our long-time employees. Scroll through our 50-Year Anniversary blogs to read our employees' stories.
Our success is also dependent on strong leadership. The entire department is overseen by the Secretary of Transportation, supported by other department executives. Secretary Victor Ankietus was the first Secretary of Transportation in 1970, followed by Jacob Kassab in 1971. Yassmin Gramian, our current secretary, is only the second woman to hold the position in PennDOT's history. Her predecessor Leslie Richards was the first. Read about the history of PennDOT's secretaries to learn more about each of our secretaries and their accomplishments.
If you're feeling nostalgic, check out our PennDOT Presents series on YouTube. Recorded in the 1960s, the footage highlights the history of snow removal, line painting, rest areas and more.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in commemorating this milestone! Whether you participated in an interview, explored PennDOT's history on our website, or noticed our anniversary posts on social media, you helped make this a special year for our agency. Cheers to 50+ more years!