WILKES-BARRE — Ken McClain, PennDOT’s Alternative Funding Director, Friday said as Pennsylvania’s mobility needs have grown, the amount of funding required to support the state’s highway and bridge network has continued to increase, while funding sources have declined.
During a virtual news conference Friday that centered on bridge and road repair and maintenance and the plan to institute tolling on several state bridges, McClain said PennDOT’s current highway and bridge budget for construction and maintenance is about $6.9 billion per year – less than half of the $15 billion needed to keep Pennsylvania’s highways and bridges in a state of good repair and address major bottlenecks on our roadway network.
He said these are the latest in the agency’s efforts to support and grow the state’s transportation network in the face of growing needs and shrinking resources.
Much of PennDOT’s current highway and bridge funding comes from gas taxes, which are declining due to alternative fuels and fuel efficiency.
PennDOT aims to identify reliable, future-focused funding solutions that will meet the overall transportation system’s growing needs while serving communities.
McClain said states like Pennsylvania are seeing declining revenue revenue from gasoline taxes due to less sales since the pandemic has seen many people working from home and less reliant on their vehicles.
McClain also cited the increasing popularity of more fuel-efficient vehicles and electric cars are selling more and more.
“PennDOT is facing an urgent funding situation,” McClain said.
On Thursday, PennDOT announced details of its Major Bridge P3 Initiative and one of the early findings of the study is that tolling of major bridges in need of replacement or rehabilitation appears to be a viable near-term solution.
PennDOT revealed part of its study to explore sustainable transportation funding methods and completing critical projects.
“Our reliance on funding models from the last century leaves us especially vulnerable to fund losses stemming from volatile economic conditions and the increasing transition to alternative-fuel or electric vehicles,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.
Projects being considered, and for which a public involvement process begins this spring, include two in Luzerne County:
• I-80 Nescopeck Creek Bridges (Luzerne County).
• I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project (Luzerne and Carbon counties).
McClain said tolls are expected to be $1 and $2 per car.
Rep. Toohil concerned
Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, Friday expressed caution about the plan to toll interstate highway bridges and the negative impact it could have on economic growth in northeastern Pennsylvania.
“I have reviewed this plan, and no other county in the state would be as adversely impacted by it as Luzerne County,” Toohil said. “These proposed toll bridges bookend the county on both ends, east and west.”
Toohil said the plan has the potential to dramatically impede future job growth in Luzerne County. She said 5,000 additional jobs have been created in the last five years, with investments made by Amazon, Chewy.com, American Eagle and many others.
“Companies with facilities here can get their products to three-quarters of the nation’s population within eight hours,” Toohil said. “That has been a huge draw. Will this tolling proposal affect future decisions made by other businesses to locate in our county? I understand that the state is trying to raise revenue, but we must question at what cost to our economic development.”
DEP advances actions to support
electric vehicle use statewide
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Friday announced its latest actions to help expand electric vehicle use statewide: more than $936,000 in grant funding for projects to install 16 more fast chargers in high-traffic areas, the start of a draft rule-making to make electric vehicles more readily available to consumers, and the release of a booklet on the benefits and basics of these zero emission vehicles.
“Our transportation decisions affect Pennsylvania today and tomorrow. We can turn in the direction of healthier air quality and slow down climate change by switching to electric vehicles, whether we’re government officials, business owners, school administrators, community leaders, or individual consumers,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “DEP is committed to supporting this choice by increasing public knowledge of electric vehicles, making it easier for consumers to find electric models, and helping to expand charging infrastructure.”
The DEP Driving PA Forward program announced $936,619 in grant funding to four projects that will install 16 fast chargers in high-traffic locations that serve both local and longer distance drivers. The funding comes from the commonwealth’s share of the national settlement with Volkswagen Group of America for cheating on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions tests.
The projects are expected to remove 771 tons of carbon dioxide, .50 ton of nitrogen oxides, .30 ton of volatile organic compounds, 186 pounds of coarse particulate matter, and 51 pounds of fine particulate matter annually from the air.
Making electric vehicles more commonly available at car dealerships is also key. Under Governor Tom Wolf’s direction, the DEP Bureau of Air Quality has begun drafting a proposed rule-making that would amend the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program to establish a requirement for automakers to include light-duty electric vehicles as a percentage of their model offerings.
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PennDOT’s McClain: ‘PennDOT is facing an urgent funding situation’ - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader
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