Pennsylvania's Transportation Funding Crisis
Bridges -- roads -- public transit

THE PROBLEM

HIGHWAYS

  • Commercial traffic makes up a sizable share of the cars and trucks on PA highways.
  • Traffic on PA highways grew 63 percent in 20 years. Truck traffic grew
  • PA ranks 22nd in the nation for pavement quality on major roads
  • PA ranks 31st in the condition of low-volume roads
  • More than one-third of the 21,000 miles of state-owned secondary roads are rated poor

BRIDGES

  • PA has the third largest bridge system in the nation - a system made up of 25,000 bridges
  • The average bridge is about 50 years old in PA
  • Twenty-one percent of the state's bridges are considered structurally deficient. But the national average is 11 percent.
  • IN 2006, 64 bridges were closed and weight restrictions were placed on 735 bridges.

TRANSIT

  • PA has 73 public transit systems, provide more than 400 million rides per year in all 67 counties in the state.
  • Between 1995 and 2005, there was a loss of $830 million in federal aid to transit systems.

FINDING A SOLUTION

A DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCE

The House passed H.B. 1590, which would provide a dedicated funding source for transportation needs across the Commonwealth. Simply put, H.B. 1590 would provide more than $500 million every year to fix roads and bridges and more than $400 million every year to fix mass transit systems across the state. This includes $30 million in new funding to help local municipalities fix roads and bridges -- all this without raising the gas tax.

To generate funds, Interstate 80 will become a toll road. Let's make the facts clear about this proposal:

  • Nearly 80 percent of I-80 traffic is "just passing through Pennsylvania."
  • The impact of tolling I-80 on local residents and businesses will be minimal. There will only be a few toll plazas, with no turnpike-style services plazas to take away business from existing gas stations and restaurants.
  • This proposal is expected to generate more than $400 million starting in fiscal year 2010 and grow every year, with estimates reaching as high as $500 million by 2015.
  • The Turnpike Commission, by tolling I-80 and using its profits on the current system, will pay for road and bridge repairs across the state, with the remainder helping to fund public transit systems in all 67 counties of the Commonwealth. The transit money will be distributed based on need and performance.