Re: CEO Joe Brimmeier calls Act 44 the best, fairest option to fund transportation in Pennsylvania
- From: "Nick C" <masternc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 23:55:12 -0400
<jpi37087@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1191103202.369288.56760@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
HI Everybody,
Not sure if anyone has posted this but here is the latest news on the
I-80 tolling plan-
Pa. Turnpike Chief Clarifies I-80 Tolling Misconceptions
CEO Joe Brimmeier calls Act 44 the best, fairest option to fund
transportation in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, PA (09/26/2007; 1511)(readMedia)-- Pennsylvania Turnpike
Chief Executive Joe Brimmeier today clarified some common
misunderstandings about how - and where - any future toll revenue
collected on Pennsylvania's Interstate 80 would be spent.
"Not one dime of tolls from I-80 would go to mass transit anywhere in
the commonwealth," Brimmeier said. "In fact, the money collected on
I-80 would first pay for maintenance and reconstruction on I-80, with
remaining toll revenues supporting improvements to roads and bridges
throughout Pennsylvania - including many along this largely rural
corridor of the state."
Act 44 provides several funding streams, including increased tolls on
the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Turnpike revenue bonds and I-80 toll
revenues. The state's 73 mass-transit agencies will be funded by
mainline Turnpike revenue bonds, not I-80 tolls. An I-80 lease
agreement between the Turnpike and PennDOT will strictly prohibit toll
income collected on the interstate from being spent on anything except
highways and bridges. That agreement is now being finalized and is
likely to be executed later this fall.
The Turnpike chief said myths about I-80 tolls going to big-city
transit systems are being spread by opponents of Act 44, the law Gov.
Rendell signed to help close a well-documented, $1.7 billion a year
transportation-funding gap. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed
Act 44 on July 18 to fund the state's aging transportation systems.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, working closely with PennDOT, is
now moving forward to comply with the law's mandates. The two agencies
are jointly seeking federal authorization to collect tolls on I-80
starting in 2011. The Turnpike last month made an initial $62.5
million payment to PennDOT, and it will make more Act-44 payments
totaling $750 million over the next year - with average payments
equaling almost $1.7 billion annually over the next 50 years.
"With Act 44, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will supply an
astonishing $116 Billion to PennDOT for transportation-system upgrades
across the state over the next 50 years," Brimmeier said.
Opponents, too, erroneously predict astronomical I-80 tolls. In
reality, tolls on the 311-mile interstate would, by law, mirror
existing Turnpike per-mile rates. That means tolls of around $25 to
drive across the state in a car while an average tractor-trailer truck
would pay less than $100 for the trip - assuming tolls would start in
2011. Under a planned E-ZPass volume-discount program, the Turnpike
will offer price cuts - anywhere from 10-20 percent based on their
monthly toll bill - to buses and trucks that take I-80. And, since
tolls on I-80 will be collected at no more than 10 toll plazas, some
free local movement will be possible between fare-collection points.
Plus, the commission is considering more ways to reduce costs for
frequent I-80 users like commuters and others.
In addition, I-80 will see a number of major upgrades under Act 44. In
fact, approximately $2 billion in I-80 safety and operational
improvements will be undertaken on the interstate in the first 10
years alone, such as lengthening on and off-ramps at interchanges,
building truck-climbing lanes and raising some low-clearance bridges
that now force trucks off the highway. In addition, engineers are
currently studying what other roadway and pavement repairs could be
completed to further enhance I-80.
"Everybody agrees we must fix our crumbling transportation
infrastructure. That money has to come from somewhere," Brimmeier
said. "Act 44 detractors are quick to assault the state legislature's
transportation-funding solution, but I've yet to hear them offer
practical suggestions on how to raise the necessary money."
Traditional funding methods cannot keep pace with escalating costs to
maintain the commonwealth's deteriorating transportation network.
"Today, fuel taxes are no longer adequate to support our network of
roads and bridges, many of which are close to or beyond their 50-year
life expectancy," Brimmeier said. "Tolling is an equitable means to
subsidize our interstate system because it's a user fee, and
transportation agencies worldwide recognize that tolls represent the
wave of the future in highway-funding alternatives."
But the political reality is that transportation-funding options are
limited.
"There's no desire to increase our state's gas tax - or to raise any
other tax or fee - to the levels required to generate the $1.7 billion
a year we need," Brimmeier said. "Act 44 is the best solution, and
it's the only mechanism that would generate that kind of funding
without selling off a state asset."
Act 44 will unquestionably have an effect on communities across the
I-80 corridor. "Naturally, many people have legitimate questions and
concerns about that," Brimmeier said. "That's why we've pledged to
convene a series of open meetings - not only with those who drive on
and live near I-80 but with their elected officials as well."
Well someone's going to have to swallow the bullet. It'll definitely be Turnpike travelers (either with the impending 25% toll increase or higher tolls under a private owner). Otherwise it is either the tolls on I-80 or noticeably higher taxes & fees related to transportation (which even more people will oppose).
.
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