Transportation System

By Jon Eich

Pennsylvania has more roads than any other state in the nation. The condition of these roads and associated bridges is not good. And current funding may not be sufficient to maintain the system, let alone make improvements. Additional funding is needed.

We've known about this since 2006, when the report of a state-wide Commission was released.

Time was wasted on such schemes as Leasing the Turnpike and Tolling I-80 -- proposals that shifted the responsibility for making decisions about costs from the legislature to someone else.

The lack of investment in our transportation infrastructure has left Pennsylvania with 5,600+ structurally deficient bridges -- the most in the nation.

And when transportation planners and community leaders sat down to put together their project lists, the lack of funds forced many safety and replacement projects decades into the future.

Additional revenue is needed to maintain our existing transportation system and deal with MISSING LINKS, such as:

• The I-80/I-99 Interchanges.

• US 322 in Penns Valley.

• Corridor O in the Moshannon Valley.

Unless the legislature is willing to step up to the plate, Pennsylvania's transportation system will continue to deteriorate. That harms the ability of our businesses to compete and every resident pays in terms of safety, delays, and vehicle maintenance costs.