Era Associate Editor

The northcentral region stands to gain about ,60 million over
the next few years for road and bridge projects, if the plan to
toll Interstate 80 is approved by the federal government.

That’s the word from the North Central Pennsylvania Regional
Planning and Development Commission’s Transportation Planning and
GIS Director Amy Kessler.

“If Act 44 goes through, it would be an opportunity for us to
get some of the projects done that are out on the horizon,” Kessler
said Thursday. “We’re focused on improving the condition of our
bridges and highways.”

According to Kessler, North Central would receive ,10.6 million
for fiscal year 2007-08, and roughly ,48.7 million between
2009-2012. Kessler said the funding would only be spent on fixing
structurally deficient bridges and the ride quality of the area’s
roads.

Interstate 80 cuts through the southern tip of North Central’s
territory, which includes McKean, Potter, Cameron and Elk
counties.

The extra funding would benefit the region, which has hundreds
of bridges considered structurally deficient and in need of
repair.

According to reports released earlier this year by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, nearly one-third of all
locally owned bridges statewide are considered structurally
deficient – including 74 in the four-county area. Meanwhile,
PennDOT officials said state-owned bridges fall into the middle of
the pack for safety.

Placing tolls along the interstate could also cause problems of
its own, including increased truck and vehicle traffic throughout
the North Central region as motorists attempt to avoid paying the
tolls along I-80. The tolls could also impact the pocketbooks of
businesses and industries located along the corridor and cause a
ripple affect across the region.

Two federal lawmakers, U.S. Reps. John Peterson and Phil
English, have introduced legislation to block the tolls; meanwhile,
the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has entered into a 50-year
lease agreement with PennDOT for I-80, transferring ,83.3 billion
over to PennDOT for ground transportation.

Kessler said North Central officials are aware of the
debate.

“We are moving down this track knowing there are others that are
trying to move away from it,” Kessler said.

In addition to the federal lawmakers, a growing list of state
legislators and municipal officials have denounced the tolling
plan, calling for a repeal of Act 44.

Kessler said North Central officials are currently in the middle
of establishing the organization’s 2009 transportation improvement
projects for the region. Two big parts of the puzzle are the
ongoing work on the U.S. Route 219 bypass projects in Bradford and
Johnsonburg, both high price-tag items that have prevented some of
the smaller transportation projects from receiving funding.

“As it stands now, we wouldn’t add a whole lot of projects,”
Kessler said. “If Act 44 is taken away, we’ll still try and fund
our worst bridges and highways first. We are looking at Act 44 as
bonus money.”

Kessler said Turnpike Commission officials have discussed the
issue with North Central.

Meanwhile, Peterson continues to fight the tolling idea in
Congress, lambasting the Turnpike Commission on Wednesday.

Peterson’s comments came about after a Washington Post article
indicated the Turnpike Commission had spent ,280,000 on federal
lobbying in Congress during the first half of the year. That amount
is apparently more than half of what the entire state spends on
federal lobbying.

“I don’t understand why a state agency needs a lobbyist in
Washington,” Peterson said. “It shows you this is an agency that
spends money frivolously.” Later, Peterson called for Gov. Ed
Rendell and commission officials to explain their reasoning for ” …
hiring fat-cat Washington lobbyists.”

As it stands, it will cost motorists ,25 a vehicle to travel
through the entire length of the interstate, while there the price
tag for trucks will be ,93. There would also be a 3 percent toll
increase each year of the deal.

The Turnpike Commission has scheduled a series of meetings
statewide on the issue, with meetings being held in Clarion on Nov.
7 and DuBois Nov. 8.