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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Majority
Leader Bill DeWeese |
  
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Lawmakers consider changes to overweight vehicle road bonds
DeWeese welcomes House Transportation Committee to Waynesburg
HARRISBURG, Sept. 22 – Discussion about the future of Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges continues to make state news, and this Friday, the House Transportation Committee will visit Waynesburg for a public hearing on legislation that would update regulation of road bonds for overweight vehicles and increase the bond amounts, which have not been raised in almost 30 years, according to state Rep. Bill DeWeese.
DeWeese will join committee members at the public hearing, which takes place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Media coverage is invited.
Current law allows municipalities to set a 10-ton vehicle weight limit on certain roads that have been found to need such a restriction. Vehicles that exceed the 10-ton limit can apply for a permit and post a bond of up to $12,000 to ensure money is available to repair a road if the vehicle damages the roadway.
"Since 1978, the costs to repair our roads in Pennsylvania have increased dramatically. Unfortunately, the bond amounts for these overweight trucks have not been increased since that time," DeWeese said. "The stress and strain that overweight trucks have on smaller roads in communities across this Commonwealth are hefty and come with an ever-increasing price tag. We know that fixing our transportation system is a priority and through this legislation we can update antiquated bonding regulations and provide additional relief for local governing bodies."
Each year during the last three years, road repair costs have risen by nearly 36 percent. DeWeese said the $12,000 bond cap has not kept pace and local taxpayers are left footing the rest of the bill.
DeWeese, who has discussed this issue numerous times with his local township supervisors, has been an advocate of updating the regulations concerning the posting of road bonds for several years. He said the legislation would require the state Department of Transportation to revise its bonding schedule by Jan. 1, 2009, and continue to update it every three years thereafter.
DeWeese said the legislation (H.B. 2133), which he is co-sponsoring, was drafted in conjunction with, and has the support of, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.
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