Gary Dovey

Grove City

Transportation funding, where art thou?

Act 44 as it’s currently written totally depends on the Pennsylvania Turnpike being the entity that controls tolling on I-76 and, pending federal approval, I-80.  If they aren’t able to control those tolls, they have no basis under law to bond toll income.

With the governor airing the turnpike lease plan April 16, one has to wonder what the bids would bring in with the current trends of the bond markets and construction costs.

Furthermore, the lease plan doesn’t really say they are going to repeal Act 44. So far, it seems that they will repeal the funding provisions as they relate to tolling I-80, but it’s too early to see whether Act 44 is history.

One can bet the mother lode that there are storm clouds swirling at the turnpike’s headquarters and they will come out swinging.

Maybe some have missed, the articles on the Pittsburgh North Shore Connector project, with bids coming in 50 percent higher. The writing is on the wall for any future transportation construction project.

Concrete and steel, due to China’s and India’s growth, will steadily become more expensive and scarce. Add the price of oil into it and costs to construct or repave one mile of road will probably rise by at least 30 percent a year.

Therefore, maybe it’s time we really sit down with the public and plan out the next five years for transportation funding, instead of throwing out these take it or leave it schemes.