Series of statewide legislative hearings highlight challenges of transportation funding in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the current Pennsylvania legislative session coming to a close, transportation advocates are pushing for a new funding bill, but many hurdles still need to be cleared.

The Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee has been holding hearings statewide, including in State College, Indiana County, and Harrisburg. But the message from stakeholders has remained the same: Pennsylvania needs more funding for roads, bridges, and mass transit, as gas tax revenue shrinks.

“Currently, PennDOT is facing an annual budget shortfall of $9.4 billion,” says State House Transportation Committee chairman Ed Nielson.

Residents in rural areas of Pennsylvania bristle when they hear of the need for more money for SEPTA, but PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll says Pennsylvania’s economy is driven by Philadelphia and its four suburban counties.

“Those five counties in Southeast PA have to have a functioning transit authority to be able to get people to and from work and to make sure the economy of our state with those five counties remains healthy,” he said.

He notes it’s been more than 10 years since the last significant funding bill, and time is running out to find solutions.

Governor Josh Shapiro’s plan would shift a portion of the current sales tax to PennDOT, but committee minority chairman Kerry Benninghoff notes that part of the sales tax is already going somewhere, and wonders how that money would be made up.