Pennsylvania has reintroduced a state bill to allow for public-private partnerships to pay for road and bridge work, as well as plans to reapply for federal approval to add tolls to Interstate 80 by year's end.


In a Call to Action, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association urged truckers to take action against the new bill, SB693, claiming it would give the Transportation Commission responsibility for oversight and administering public-transportation agreements.

"This independent commission would make decisions on things that should be in the hands of elected officials," the Call to Action said. "Not only is this an awful idea, but there are definite questions about the constitutionality of such a maneuver."

The same bill went through the Senate last June, only to be shot down by a House committee. SB1158, as it was called, was sponsored by Sen. Roger Madigan.

In a similar effort to rake in more state funds, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission plans on trying to add tolls on I-80, for the second time around, according to reports by The Morning Call. The Federal Highway Administration rejected the state's initial application last year, saying the planned use of toll revenues did not meet federal requirements.

Officials from the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration met with the Turnpike officials recently to provide feedback on the initial proposal that was rejected, according to published reports.

Under the original proposal, PennDOT would have transferred I-80 to the Turnpike Commission and make payments. But FHWA officials said the application did not meet legal requirements for the correct use of toll revenue. Specifically, the application called for the Turnpike Commission to use toll revenue to pay annual lease payments to PennDOT. The federal agency noted that while under the program toll revenue can be used for lease payments, the amount of the payment is required to be based on an objective market valuation.

The commission's application, however, included no information or data justifying the proposed amount for the annual toll payment or establishing that the level was based on an objective market valuation.

The toll increases are part of Pennsylvania's Act 44, which was passed in July 2007. The act calls for the Turnpike Commission to provide more than $116 billion over a 50-year period for transportation maintenance and improvements.