PA Transportation Advisors: More Money Needed

There is a $3.5 billion gap between what Pennsylvania should annually be investing in roads and what the state is actually spending on transportation.

That’s according to the state’s Transportation Advisory Committee, which released a study Monday giving recommendations on how to fill that gap.

TAC Chairman Louis Schultz says raising the gas tax by one penny would increase yearly revenue by $62 million dollars.

Other ideas include issuing strategic bonds, initiating public-private partnerships, and tolling certain roads, like Interstate 95 near Philadelphia.

Schultz says the committee provided a “menu” of 18 funding options for legislators, because telling them what to do hasn’t worked in the past.

He says he doesn’t expect the state to fund all $3.5 billion; however, he says he hopes the legislature can come up with a “responsible” number somewhere between the current $472 million transportation shortfall and the $3.5 billion estimate.