AASHTO Journal, 4 April 2014
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced Thursday that a new bill he signed last fall has allowed Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to add hundreds of projects to its construction schedule for 2014, even in the challenging times brought on by the uncertainty of federal funding from the Highway Trust Fund.
House Bill 1060, hailed by state officials as “the most comprehensive piece of state transportation legislation in decades,” provides at least an additional $2.3 billion for the state’s transportation system by the fifth year of the plan. Funding for the transportation package comes in part from the elimination of the flat 12-cent gas tax and “modernizing an outdated transportation financing structure through the uncapping of the wholesale, Oil Company Franchise Tax.” The measure focuses on additional transportation infrastructure investment across the state in more.
Corbett said about $2.1 billion will be invested into the state’s transportation network, or about $600 million more than what would have been possible without the passage of the bill last fall. Those additional 250 projects brings the total amount of PennDOT projects to 900 set to get underway this year, creating jobs and making the area safer and more economically sound.
“We are putting these transportation investments to work quickly as we strive to build a stronger Pennsylvania both now and in the future,” Corbett said in a statement.
Corbett also applauded PennDOT for finding ways to save even more money and make the department more efficient with the resources it currently has.
“PennDOT is looking intently at its own operations and this review has so far resulted in $100 million a year in recurring savings,” Corbett said. “PennDOT looked internally to ensure that each and every available dollar is invested wisely and that fits my goal of delivering core services to Pennsylvania taxpayers in the most effective way possible.”
Additional information on Pennsylvania’s Transportation Funding Plan can be found here.