Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett created a Transportation Funding Advisory Commission to develop solutions to the state's mounting transportation funding challenges.


"We need a comprehensive, strategic blueprint for how we pay for years of underinvestment in our roads, bridges, and mass transit systems, and I have directed PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch to lead the commission to explore our financial options," Corbett said. The governor tasked the group to make its recommendations by Aug. 1.

The state of Pennsylvania has been suffering from transportation budget woes for several years running. The state has had three tolling plans for I-80 rejected by the federal government. The most recent rejection in April 2010 lost the state around $470 million in revenue.

Pennsylvania's highway infrastructure is among the worst in the nation. Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers rated the state's roads a 'D-minus', down from 'D' in 2006. According the governors office, Pennsylvania has approximately 5,600 structurally deficient bridges, the highest of any state, and approximately 6,000 miles of roads in need of repair.