Federal stimulus package won’t erase PennDOT’s funding gap or plans for new tolls or taxes

The Allentown Morning Call Adware Farm ^ | December 22, 2020 | Tom Shortell

[doosee]

Biden can only impact fracking on federal land, and there isn’t much of that in PA.

The EPA can rescind licenses on private property based on their perceived water shed damage. The will use EPA to shut down or severely hamper private land

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I wouldn’t doubt it. Increasing chunks of this increased oil receipts tax revenue are also going to the state police, who serve as the police force in many Pennsylvania towns.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

It actually does. Act 44 effectively mandated that the turnpike pay $450 million per year to fund other transportation concerns. Currently, it’s all being directed to public transit systems.

Per Act 89, the diversion will drop to $50 million per year in 2023.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The problem is, they’re also floating bonds to fund the $450 million per year diversion to public transit systems. That is causing them to raise tolls at the rate of 6% a year, which is still roughly 3 times the official inflation rate.

If the turnpike only had to fund its widening and reconstruction program, it would probably be raising the tolls at a slower annual rate.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Well, we would really need to see the budget for the turnpike, and see how much is collected in tolls, versus what are the maintenance needs for just the turnpike itself. Then we would also need to see where does the gas tax money in Pennsylvania go.

Theoretically the polls paid on a toll road should go for the maintenance of that specific road. And theoretically the gas taxes we all pay should go for road maintenance. These should theoretically be dedicated funding sources paid by the users of those particular roads.

Is this how things work in the real world? Apparently not.

And what of the fees the truckers pay when they going to the weigh station to be weighed, and are assessed fees based on the weight of the haul? Theoretically that money should be going for repair and maintenance of the roads the trucks drive on.