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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Joseph F. Markosek
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Markosek to hold hearings across the state on transportation funding
House transportation chairman seeks bipartisan solution to funding crisis
HARRISBURG, May 4 – House Transportation Committee Chairman Joseph F. Markosek said he will hold public hearings to discuss the nearly $3.5 billion the state needs to maintain Pennsylvania's existing highway, bridge and public transit systems.
"I want to hear from all corners of the state." said Markosek, D-Allegheny/Westmoreland. "All options are on the table, and it is my hope that we can come up with a bipartisan solution to address the vast needs of our aging transportation infrastructure."
Markosek's announcement came as Gov. Edward Rendell opened a special session of the legislature to address transportation funding, and a day after the State Transportation Advisory Committee released an updated report on the financial needs of the state's transportation infrastructure. Details of the hearings are being arranged.
"I cannot overstate how important this issue is to all Pennsylvanians," Markosek said. "We have about 5,600 bridges that are structurally deficient and 7,000 miles of road that need to be repaired. This large backlog of work could hinder the state's economic competiveness and jeopardize the safety of our residents and visitors."
Markosek was the author of Act 44, which was approved by the General Assembly in 2007 with a bipartisan vote and signed into law by Rendell. The law called for an increase in tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the tolling of I-80. The increase in tolls is providing an extra $900 million this year to fund roadwork in all 67 counties. That figure will drop by about half on July 1 because of the tolling rejection by the federal government.
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