Maintaining our infrastructure is a basic obligation of government.
PA, the Keystone state, has 41,000+ miles of roads, and 31,000+ bridges which are critical to every aspect of our personal and business lives. Consider the condition of the roads you drive on, and know that 1 in 5 bridges in PA today are structurally deficient. We spend an estimated $7 Billion annually on our infrastructure, but revenues are not keeping up with expense demand. Our vehicles get far better MPG, resulting in lower gas tax revenue. Our usage continues to rise (there are 16% more passenger vehicles registered in PA now than in year 2000), resulting in more wear and tear on the system. The General Assembly passed Act 89 in 2013, which imposes a user fee at the pump, to be implemented over 4 years, eventually raising over $2 Billion annually for repairs. Included in the expense budget are dollars for air and water ports, and multi-modal transport projects. Even trails and bicycle paths will get a small boost to improve quality of life.
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