APC's Statement on the Rejection of I-80 Tolling Plan
Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, on behalf of the state’s highway construction industry, issued the following statement in reaction to the Federal Highway Administration’s rejection yesterday of the request to place tolls on Interstate 80.
“Three and a half years after the governor’s Transportation Funding and Reform Commission declared that there is a funding crisis in Pennsylvania, the situation has now become even worse.
By the 2011 construction season, PennDOT’s annual lettings will have fallen to $1.5 billion, compared with $2.2 billion as recently as in 2008. The $1.8 billion gap identified in 2006 has become significantly larger. Meanwhile, highway safety deteriorates, traffic increases, congestion gets worse and the condition of roads and bridges continues to deteriorate.
Pennsylvania’s opportunity for economic recovery and growth and the creation of jobs are dead in the water without a transportation system that safely and efficiently accommodates the movement of materials, products and people throughout the state.
It is time to stop talking about how not to fund our transportation infrastructure and to start developing a comprehensive solution. Rejection of the tolling application makes this one of the top issues in the campaigns for governor, General Assembly, Congress and U.S. Senate.”
What APC Members Need to Know About the Rejection of I-80 Tolling
PennDOT’s annual lettings are scheduled to total about $1.8 billion this year. The I-80 rejection will not affect that letting schedule or level. This is because PennDOT programmed work assuming the denial of tolling (to be prudent).
However, by the 2011 construction season, PennDOT’s annual lettings are predicted to be $1.5 billion, compared with $2.8 billion in 2009 fueled by ARRA.
The governor has called for a special session of the General Assembly to deal with this issue. APC will be working with our coalition partners to urge elected officials to adopt a long-term comprehensive plan, not a “half-a-loaf bandaide” that could be portrayed as dealing with transportation needs.
APC members will need to be active in contacting legislators this spring to urge action on this critical issue. We will be providing talking points in the near future.
04.07.10