Two Norwin students created a winning plan to connect a community separated by a highway as part of PennDOT’s Innovations Challenge contest for students to develop creative and strategic solutions to real transportation challenges.

Troy Horvath and Noah Wilson were regional winners in PennDOT District 12 that includes Westmoreland County and will proceed to statewide competition in Harrisburg on May 1.

The students presented a plan to PennDOT district judges that focused on getting the community back together by including green zones and public spaces, said Thomas Harskowitch, Norwin geometry and statistics teacher who mentored the team. The plan put an emphasis of safety for residents to travel from one side to the other side of the roadway, Harskowitch said. The public areas would include plazas with seating and pedestrian-friendly zones for gatherings, as well as landscaping to create a welcoming atmosphere.

PennDOT had challenged students with a real-life problem of a highway construction project that separated a community and how it could be brought back together. It was a highway that required people and businesses to relocate.

“I was impressed with the research and innovative ideas that Noah and Troy presented to the PennDOT district judges as to how to incorporate these ideas with an existing roadway,” Harskowitch said.

Harskowitch said four teams of Norwin students competed in the regional contest held in Uniontown, headquarters for PennDOT District 12.

The state winning team will get a $4,000 award, PennDOT said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)