PennDOT Sec: Gas Tax Hike Not Being Considered

The head of a panel designed to find ways to fund repairs to the state's roads and bridges says tolling could be the most reliable way to go.
PennDOT's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission will hear a presentation Monday on the possibility of tolling Route 422 in Montgomery, Chester and Berks Counties.
The 30-member commission set up by Governor Tom Corbett looks for ways to pay for transportation improvements across the state.
PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch says tolling would provide a steady stream of income, but can't be used on many busy highways...

“Tolling certainly is mileage-based. It doesn't matter whether your car is electric, fuel cell, or gasoline or diesel. It all gets charged the same way. So that's a possibility in the future, but there are federal laws that restrict that, especially on our interstate systems, so unless they change that won't be a part of the immediate future.”

Schoch says the commission is examining tolls because other sources of funding, like gas taxes, are shrinking...

“If you owned a car in the 1970s chances are it got less than 15 miles-per-gallon. Today you probably get around 30 miles-per-gallon. So, you travel the same amount of miles per year, but you buy half as much gas as you did back in the 70s, and that's a large chunk of how we get our revenue to build the roads and bridges.”

Shoch says the commission is looking for plans that will generate two-and-a-half million dollars in recurring revenue over four or five years. He says the commission has been instructed not to look at increasing the gas tax. But if nothing is done to find more money, he says the department may have to close bridges and roadways as they fall into serious disrepair

Pay Court Fees or Don't Drive

A Pennsylvania State Senator wants people to pay their court fees before their vehicle registration would be renewed. Mike Stack (D-Philadelphia) has authored legislation (SB 836) that would require individuals who owe the Court of Common Pleas fees and fines to pay up before the Department of Motor Vehicles okays the registration. Stack says this policy would help close the gap in the Commonwealth's $4 billion deficit.

"By simply collecting these $1.6 billion in unpaid fees, fines, restitution payments, we could cut the deficit nearly in half. We could potentially completely restore basic education funding all without raising taxes."

Stack explains how the policy would work if implemented.

"Once a person pays their fines, surcharges, fees or penalties, the court would send a written or electronic notification to PennDot that the individual has paid. Then, PennDot would renew the person's vehicle registration."

Philadelphia Municipal Court is owed $205.7 million and Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas is due more than $97 million.
The legislation is currently in the Senate Transportation Committee. A similar bill has been introduced in the House.

More Construction Restrictions on Route 28

Northbound Route 28 will be closed between the 31st Street Bridge and the 40th Street Bridge this weekend as construction and preparation begins for long-term work on the 31st Street Bridge.

Route 28 will be closed at 8 p.m. Friday, March 18 and will reopen at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 20. Following the reopening of Route 28, the intersection of the roadway and the 31st Street Bridge will close for long-term improvements planned to be finished next spring.

PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi says a detour will be posted but it will be helpful for drivers to find a different route to avoid congestion.

“We do encourage motorists, local traffic people who may know other ways to find alternate routes because there are easier ways to go. Particularly if you are leaving the city area, you can continue out Liberty Avenue rather than actually getting onto Route 28,” Struzzi says. “It’s going to be a little transition for people once the bridge closes but in the long run it’ll be better for everyone.”

The intersection will be closed as crews construct retaining walls for a new interchange with Route 28, part of a $22 million project. Other aspects of the project include upgraded drainage, signals, utility and railroad track relocation.

Struzzi says the bridge will still be accessible for those who need it.

“Roughly about 6,000 vehicles use the 31st Street Bridge on an average day. It’s important to note that motorists coming from Lawrenceville will still be able to cross the bridge and access River Avenue down to the Herr’s Island area and Washington’s Landing,” Struzzi says. “It’s important to note that for people who do work on Herr’s Island.”

Aggressive Driving Targeted in SW PA

PennDOT is partnering with local law enforcement and State Police in cracking down on aggressive driving in southwestern Pennsylvania now through March 27. Jay Ofsanik of PennDOT says they've been doing these "aggressive driving enforcement waves" since 2006 to reduce crashes and fatalities.....
"Speeding, tailgating someone, improper passing, weaving in and out of traffic, people who run red lights, do 'boulevard' (rolling) stops at stop signs instead of coming to a complete stop, are the types of behaviors police are looking for."
Ofsanik says they look at particular crash records and then determine the roadways that have a high incident rate of aggressive driving and then have police specifically target those roads.
PennDOT uses grants from the Federal Highway Administration to reimburse local police departments and state police for any extra costs including overtime.
According to Ofsanik, over the next 5 weeks they will be targeting 83 roads in the Pittsburgh region including Route 51 in Westmoreland County, Route 30 near Greensburg, Route 22 in Murrysville, Route 19 in McCandless Township, Route 50 in Collier Township and the Interstates.
He says the program has been effective citing the example of a stretch of Route 51 between Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. Ofsanik says prior to the program starting in 2006, there were 6 fatalities in 5 years in that corridor. But since the crackdown, there have been no fatalities in the last 5 years.

Snow Slows Region

More than 8 inches of snow fell on the Pittsburgh region in the span of about 12 hours and that has transportation officials scrambling. The Port Authority of Allegheny County suspended service around 10:00 Monday night when conditions became unsafe or impassable on nearly every route. PAT spokesperson Jim Ritchie says managers began sending out buses again around 5 am this morning and by 6 am had buses on all but 25 routes. Service to the remaining routes is slowly being restored. Anyone planning to take the bus this morning should head to a main route if it seems like other traffic is having a hard time getting down the street where they normally catch the bus. Ritchie says the T is running well.

Callers to the Port Authority’s service center are experiencing long delays and PAT’s main web page has been crippled. Ritchie says the best way to get information this morning is to go to the Port Authority’s twitter page at twitter.com/pghtransit.

Pittsburgh Public works crews hit the street last night using trucks and salt stationed at eight different locations throughout the city. As of 6:30, Pittsburgh Public Works Director Rob Kaczorowski says about 90% of the city 800 miles of main road had been treated more than once. He says they are now doing touchup work on the main routes and have shifted focused to the secondary streets. He is asking residents on those streets to be patient. He says it will take 12-24 hours to get to every street in the city. Many of those streets have a layer of ice below the snow. In the meantime, he is asking residents to stay off the secondary streets if possible. He also reminds those who are digging out and brushing off cars parked on the streets, to not put the snow into the travel lanes. He says car owners need to move that snow to the side of the road or place it in front or behind their cars.

State Crews are also fighting the snow. PennDOT Spokesperson Jim Struzzi says they are “In the midst of a big battle here.” Struzzi says most of the interstates are just wet in the main traffic lanes but have various amounts of snow in the passing lanes and on the shoulders. Crews continue to work on the ramps to and from the highways and on the bridges. Work on the Parkway North was hindered last night when people abandon their vehicles. The off ramp to McKnight Road had the most problems after a series of accidents forced the state to close the ramp. Several abandon cars are still on the side of I-279. Struzzi says plows and salt trucks are now turning their attentions to the secondary state maintained roads. He reminds drivers to expect varying conditions as the travel and he says all drivers need to remember to clear off their cars of all snow and ice before starting their commute.

PennDOT Works to Fix Bridges

The number of structurally deficient bridges in PennDOT District 11 (Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence County) is at its lowest in recent years. Last year District 11 opened construction bids for improvements on 81 bridges, 54 of which were deficient. Since 2007 the number of deficient bridges have decreased from 605 to 484, about 26 percent of the districts bridges.

District Executive Dan Cessna, says that PennDOT has worked hard to keep up with deficient bridges. "We've more than doubled our bridge program over the last three years due to having additional funding. We've made significant progress, but as everyone knows, our infrastructure around the region is very old and it continues to age, and new bridges become structurally deficient every several weeks."

Cessna says that improvement on deficient bridges will continue into 2011. The upcoming construction season will see bids opened for more than $150 million in projects to repair, replace, preserve, and maintain 71 bridges, 42 of which are rated structurally deficient. He says that the improvement of bridges will continue beyond the 2012 season, but an end to stimulus money might reduce the number of projects the district will move into construction.

Call PennDOT to Fix Potholes

As warmer spring air fights its way through only to be pushed back by another harsh Pittsburgh winter, the water that seeps through roadway pavement unfreezes and refreezes causing the potholes that dot much of Southwestern Pennsylvania's roads.

PennDOT provides a telephone number, which the public can call to have potholes on state roads fixed in a timely manner. By calling 1-800-349-7623 and identifying the location of the pothole using landmarks and the state road number, residents can help PennDOT find potholes that inevitably occur during the changing of the seasons.

“We’ve actually had the 1-800-FIX-ROAD line for probably 15 years now and it’s not really a hotline, it’s actually open year-round and motorists can report any highway maintenance concern on state roads,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar says.

According to Chizmar, snow removal and road treatments are top priority for the department but potholes will be taken care of as quickly as possible. Callers should be able to identify the county, the municipality, the street name and the state route number along with any landmarks located near the pothole. While PennDOT only fixes state roads marked by small white “state route” signs, Chizmar says if there is a pothole on a local non-state road, the local municipality should be informed.

“[The number] gets an awful lot of use, there is an average of about 40,00 calls every year,” Chizmar says. “It’s actually a maintenance hotline number and motorists can report everything from potholes, to dead deer, to shoulder drop-offs, any type of highway maintenance concern.”

The city of Pittsburgh has launched its own war on potholes. Public Works Director Rob Kaczorowski is asking residents to report potholes online, or by calling the Mayor’s 311 hotline. (Non City-residents can report potholes to 311 by dialing 412-255-CITY.) Kaczorowski says crews hope to respond to calls within 72 hours and pledge to have them filled within five days.

Crews will be out on two 8-hour shifts working on the potholes whenever they are not dealing with ice and snow. "Our crews are committed to battling Pittsburgh's potholes," says Kaczorowski. The mayor’s office says since the beginning of the year the city has responded to 234 pothole calls.

Township Leaders Want Tax Payments Early

A league of Pennsylvania municipalities is urging Governor Tom Corbett to distribute fuel tax funds early so they can repair winter road damage.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors wants about $300 million in fuel tax revenue issued about two months earlier than its regular April 1 release.

The PSATS says this “unusually harsh winter” has made local roads unsafe for motorists.

But Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick says there might be drawbacks to releasing the funds early.

“It’s a matter of following what is provided for in state law,” says Kirkpatrick. “Currently, those payments are supposed to go April 1. Any deviation from that gets into a number of legal and technical issues that Governor Corbett’s administration is reviewing at this point.”

The association’s executive director David Sanko says if the state doesn’t release the money early, many local governments will have to borrow money and thus pay interest.

The fuel tax revenue was distributed early last year after former Governor Ed Rendell declared a state of emergency.

Beaver County Rep Wants PennDOT to Manage Turnpike

A State House Republican is making another push to consolidate the Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Representative Jim Christiana, in his second term from Beaver County, is authoring a bill to get rid of the Turnpike Commission.
Republicans have introduced similar measures in previous sessions, but the legislation has never gone anywhere.
However, the GOP now controls the House for the first time since 2006.
Christiana says the Turnpike's staff is out of sync with its its responsibilities, arguing the Commission has one manager for every thirteen miles of roadway.

"It's just disproportional. It's redundant. It's inefficient operation of the Turnpike Commission. And we should just allow PennDOT to do what they do for thousands and thousands of miles of roadway - and that's just manage the roadways of Pennsylvania."

Christiana wants to abolish the Turnpike Commission, and create a subdivision within PennDOT to manage the toll road.
A House Republican spokesman says the bill is "definitely" something GOP leaders want to look into during the legislative session, once work begins on January 18th.

Major Road Construction in 2011...After That...?????

Stretches of Route 28, Route 65, the Parkway East and the Crosstown Boulevard face major construction and rehabilitation work during 2011.
PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi says the "big one" is Route 28 with work to continue between the 31st Street Bridge and 40th Street Bridge as crews widen the roadway to add southbound bypass lanes to the 40th Street Bridge interchange...
"The next phase of the project, the large scale widening, from the Heinz Plant out to the 31st Street Bridge where it will connect with the project currently underway will start this summer as well."

Because of that, there will be a single lane northbound on parts of 28 between the city's North Side and Millvale until 2014 when the project is completed.
Struzzi says motorists have to understand that this is a major construction project and there's not a lot of room to do the work that needs to be done without impacting traffic but "when it's done, there will be free-flowing traffic through that corridor and there will be a dramatic improvement."

Struzzi says the $17 million rehabilitation of the Boston Bridge on Route 48 in Elizabeth Township will get into full swing in 2011 with some northbound lane closures of the bridge overnight and some weekends. He says this will be a good year to reduce the number of structurally-deficient bridges in the Pittsburgh area.

In addition, PennDOT will do a $14 million rehabilitation of the Crosstown Boulevard (I-579) to the Veterans' Bridge which will involve lane and ramp closures.
Struzzi says the 5 year rehabilitation of ramps and bridges on the Parkway East (I-376) between the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and the Pennsylvania Turnpike will wrap up during this next construction season.
Also, work will continue on the Route 65/Marshall Avenue interchange on Pittsburgh's North Side and there will be a new project in the North Hills, the Wexford Flats, on Route 19 near North Allegheny High School to widen and add turning lanes along the corridor..."If anyone travels that, you know it's very difficult to make left hand turns into any of the businesses up there."
Struzzi says motorists will see a lot of construction in 2011 because those projects are already funded, but the big impact of the transportation funding crisis will come in 2012....
"We're simply not designing projects for the future because we don't have the money to fund the design. A lot of people will scratch their heads when they hear about the funding crisis because they see all the improvements that we are making. But these improvements were planned a few years ago. The true dilemma is there is no plan for the future because there is no money to pay for it."

PA Bridge Repairs Ahead of Schedule

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has exceeded its goal for repairing bridges over the past three years, but funding uncertainty could slow down the agency in the years to come.

PennDOT has repaired more than 1500 bridges since the start of the Accelerated Bridge Program in 2008, exceeding its expectations by about 450.

PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick says in 2010, the agency awarded 611 bridge contracts totaling $900 million. He says that reduced the total number of needy bridges from the 2008 high of 6,034 to almost 5,400 now.

But Kirkpatrick says despite reversing the growth of ‘structurally deficient’ bridges in the state, PennDOT still has plenty of work to do. And he says that won’t be easy, given the murky outlook for PennDOT funding.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds provided an extra boost of over a billion dollars for the state highway and bridge network, and that money is running out,” says Kirkpatrick.

The state’s Transportation Advisory Committee says the state is underfunding its transportation system by about $3.5 billion each year.

The PennDOT spokesman says the vast majority of ‘structurally deficient’ bridges are not unsafe, but he says PennDOT studies each bridge to determine which ones need repairs most urgently.

PennDOT Limits Marcellus Shale Trucks

Trucks operated by Marcellus Shale drilling companies are being regulated to offset the cost of damage to local roads. PennDOT is placing weight limits on state roads frequently used by drilling companies, and those who continue using the roads are forced to apply for permits and bonds through PennDOT. Rich Kirkpatrick, spokesman for PennDOT, says the regulation will make the gas companies pay for the costs of damage to the roads rather than local taxpayers.

Drilling companies using the roads have to apply for a permit that will include an excess maintenance agreement, which makes them responsible for repairing the roads. They will also have to apply for a bond which will act as insurance to PennDOT if the company were to go out of business.

Kirkpatrick, also says that some local commercial drivers are having troubles with the regulations because there is currently no rule separating them from drilling company vehicles. "With all of the local roads being posted its been somewhat of a hardship for them. Some of them have been complaining, there have been some news reports about it. We have been working on changing our regulations to accommodate those local delivery situations."

He says that new permits for local drivers will be available in 30 days but if drivers have any trouble now they can go to their local PennDOT office and work out an arrangement.

Holiday Travelers Encouraged to Be Safe

As always, travelers are encouraged to drive cautiously during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays this year. PennDOT is partnering with state and local police forces to ensure the safety of all drivers in a year that AAA says will feature more travelers than last.

AAA projects an 11.4 percent increase in travelers going more than 50 miles to enjoy family and food this Thanksgiving. AAA spokeswoman Bevi Powell said the improved economy is likely one reason for the increase in travelers this year.

“Last year some of the American travelers may have postponed their trip but this year some of the Americans are in a different financial position,” Powell said.

According to AAA, about 1.11 million travelers will drive to reach their destination and PennDot, law enforcement, and AAA all advise drivers to proceed with caution during holiday traveling.

“We’re really asking drivers to think about safety while their driving,” Alison Wenger, a spokesperson for PennDOT says. “Whether that’s wearing their seatbelt or designating a driver if they’re impaired or unable to drive. Also watch for aggressive drivers on the highway.”

PennDOT will have sobriety checkpoints, along with regular police patrols to ensure drivers safety. They also are conducting Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement for the holiday season, and if a driver is pulled over for a driving violation and doesn’t have his or her seatbelt on, they are subject to a second citation.

More than 500 of the reported 4,500 accidents last holiday season were alcohol-related and in an attempt to reduce that number, AAA is running a “Take the Pledge” viral campaign that asks drivers to be responsible and let another drive is they are impaired.

“We’re asking people to go online and go to www.takethepledge.aaa.com, sign up that you are committing to drive sober and also to pass that message on their Facebook and email it to their friends and family,” Powell says.

The best advice Powell and Wenger have to offer is to plan ahead for your trip and leave early.

“If you’re flying make sure you that you arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance,” Powell says. “If you’re driving make sure that you leave yourself enough time that you can leave safely and not feel rushed.”

Damaged I-70 Bridge to Come Down

PennDOT will bring down a bridge over I-70 in Washington County this morning. The emergency work comes a day after a truck carrying an oversize load struck the bridge in
Somerset Township. PennDOT inspectors who checked the bridge yesterday say it needs to come down immediately. The Interstate is closed for the near future. Vehicles are getting off at the McIlvaine Road exit, then immediately back on to avoid going under the damaged overpass. As 40,000 vehicles use that stretch of Interstate 70 each day. State police are looking for the rig that damaged the bridge. Witnesses say the truck hit the overpass and then sped away.

PennDOT Adds 4-year Plan Map to Web

In August, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Committee approved a new Transportation Improvement Program that outlines state spending on roads and bridges for the next 4 years. PennDOT Spokesperson Rich Kirkpatrick says the department decided to put all that information on the web in the form of an interactive map. Users can call up each county and see what projects are included in the 4-year plan. After clicking on the specific roadway, a link to a PFD containing project specifics pops up on the page. Several of the projects also include a link to a video clip of the section to be repaired. The plan is updated every two years and Kirkpatrick says due to the state’s tight budget, this year’s plan is 24% smaller than the plan adopted 2 years ago. "This website enhancement is part of our ongoing effort to improve communications with the public and our partners," says PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler, "Anyone can now go online to see the details of what improvements we can afford.” The Transportation Improvement Program, which took effect Oct. 1, includes highway and bridge projects totaling $10.2 billion.

Route 28 Fun Begins

After rush hour today, PennDOT’s multi-year Route 28 project will begin 1300 feet north of the 31st Street Bridge through the 40th Street Bridge interchange. Northbound traffic will be restricted to a single lane through 2014.

During rush hours, there will still be two southbound lanes, although one may be closed when necessary at off hours because construction will actually be occurring on the southbound side of the road. Jim Struzzi, District 11 press officer, says drivers can access real time cameras at the website 511pa.com to see how Route 28 traffic is moving.

An alternate northbound route is to take Butler Street through Lawrenceville to the 40th Street or Highland Park Bridge. PennDOT has constructed improvements at key intersections to facilitate traffic flow.

Struzzi says Route 28 will be a free flowing and much safer road, with median barriers, when the project is completed.

A PowerPoint presentation of the whole project can be found online.

Change in Gender ID Policy

PennDOT has changed its policy on how transgender people identify themselves on their driver's licenses. Transportation Department spokesman Craig Yetter says the agency and Equality Pennsylvania reached an agreement...
"Equality advocates approached the department and brought the policy change for passports to our attention and let us know there were 26 other states and the District of Columbia that had similar policies in place and then PennDOT took action to change the policy."
The U.S. Department of State in June implemented a change in policy regarding the gender markings on passports.
Under PennDOT's old policy, to change the gender on their licenses or state ID cards, people had to prove they had sexual reassignment surgery. The new policy that is effective immediately doesn't require proof of surgery. It does allow a change in gender on the licenses if people are living full-time in the new gender and it is verified by a licensed medical or psychological caregiver or social worker "whose practice includes helping people with gender identity issues."
Yetter says that can be done online at Department of Motor Vehicles website.

Controversial Legislative Office Downsized

A special report issued in May by the Grand Jury investigating public corruption in the state legislature detailed how 34 legislative staffers and 35 PennDOT workers spend all their time processing vehicle registration, license renewals and other paperwork for constituents. The jurors argued lawmakers only filed the paperwork to score points with voters. The report prompted Governor Rendell to launch an effort to shut down the PennDOT office. However, the practice remained open, after House Speaker Keith McCall defended it as a valuable constituent service. This week a compromise was reached to scale back the office but leave it otherwise intact. PennDOT will continue to accept individual constituents’ paperwork from lawmakers’ offices, but as McCall’s Chief of Staff Paul Parsells says things are different in rural counties compared to more urban settings and this is a service that makes sense, “If you live in Harrisburg you can get in your car, go right downtown to the riverfront office center, process your paperwork. You can take a publicly funded transit bus down there if you want. In rural Pennsylvania you can’t do that. And many of our members really serve as the front door to state government.” Under the new agreement legislators will not pass along documents from car dealerships or other businesses that already charge fees to their customers. “They estimated it to be approximately 60 percent of the work. And after we evaluated the work we think that might be in the right ballpark. It was a significant amount of work, and it’s work we really didn’t need to be doing,” says Parsells. The PennDOT workers will be reassigned to other departments, but Parcells says the legislative processing offices will stay open. He notes that the office does more than just handle PennDOT work. “This is just one example of the work our legislators do every day. We serve as intermediaries with the Department of Welfare, with the Attorney General, Office of Consumer Advocate, with Treasury. With any agency of the state.” Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler says the change will save a million dollars a year.

Penn Hills Parkway Exit to Close for 2 Weeks

Construction crews will close the Penn Hills exit of the Parkway East outbound next Monday for drainage work and concrete replacement.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Jim Struzzi says the closure will begin at 7:00 a.m. and continue around the clock until August 31.

Struzzi says he anticipates some traffic congestion because of the closure.

“I’m sure there will be some motorists who are using the alternate routes and detour routes that could cause some increases in traffic, particularly on Business Route 22 at the Rodi Road intersection, because that’s what we foresee as most people using as a detour.”

That detour would have drivers exit at Business Route 22 / Monroeville and take a left at Rodi Road, which is the first intersection they would reach. Struzzi says Rodi Road would take drivers to the same place that the Penn Hills off-ramp reaches.

Struzzi says if motorists miss that exit, they’ll have to exit at Plum / Monroeville near the Pennsylvania Turnpike and take Business Route 22 in the opposite direction until they reach Rodi Road, at which point they would turn right.

PennDOT Maps Highlight Funding Crisis

Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation has posted two maps online that call attention to the state’s transportation funding shortfall.

One map shows what transportation projects will be cut if no transportation funding solution is found. The other depicts new projects that could move forward if PennDOT had funding increases of $1 billion, $1.5 billion, or $2 billion.

PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar says the maps “bring the message home to each and every Pennsylvanian,” because one can view projects by county.

Pennsylvania lost about $472 million in transportation funding this April, when the federal government denied the state’s bid to toll its section of Interstate 80. Since then, Governor Ed Rendell has repeatedly asked the legislature to come up with a solution. In the next few months, a special legislative session is expected to address the issue.