As most people who follow the highway funding issue know, the debate over tolling Interstate 80 has revived the discussion about privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike, with Governor Rendell pushing it as a "contingency plan" in case the Federal Highway Administration rejects the I-80 tolling request.

Supporters of a Turnpike lease deal have capitalized on the opposition to I-80 tolling by suggesting that leasing the Turnpike would eliminate the need for I-80 tolls and provide millions more for highway improvements than does Act 44.

Enter the Turnpike Commission which, in defending its position as Turnpike operator, claims that the tolling and highway funding measure passed last summer solves 95 percent of the highway funding gap.

Sorting all this out isn't difficult if one has the facts, so here they are:

• Today’s highway funding gap, by nearly all accounts, is approximately $1 billion per year. Act 44, the tolling/transportation funding measure, provides about $500 million per year in additional revenue with a 2.5% annual inflation adjustment, a fact readily corroborated by Transportation Secretary Biehler and other officials.
• While some lawmakers and other parties do not like the I-80 tolling plan, there does not appear to be support in the legislature to repeal Act 44 and start over again.
• Although federal officials have reacted cautiously toward the I-80 tolling proposal specifically, they have expressed strong support for the concept of tolling generally, and there is no indication that they have a particular problem with the I-80 plan. As federal officials continue to insist that the funds necessary for repairing and upgrading America's highway system are not likely to come from Washington, tolling is likely to become more prevalent across the country.
• If the legislature decides to reverse course resulting in a Turnpike lease deal, the value of the lease is significantly lower if I-80 remains toll-free, because that would divert traffic from the Turnpike.

It also is worth noting that PennDOT acknowledges that the $1 billion funding gap pertains to Pennsylvania's existing highway system, and eliminating that gap still would provide for virtually no new capacity.

There is a silver lining -- the issue remains in the news media, and it becomes clear to the public that the transportation funding problem has not been solved.

PHIA will continue its mission to be a reliable source of factual information as the discussion continues.