The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors recently discussed bridge and road investments in the state.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide Pennsylvania with $1.6 billion in new bridge funds, 15 percent of which is committed to “off-system” local bridges.
PennDOT has committed $455.9 million, approximately 1 percent more than 2021, in liquid fuels payments to help certified municipalities maintain their roads and bridges. Municipalities use the payments to cover highway and bridge-related expenses.
A total of 73,141 miles owned by municipalities are eligible for liquid fuels. To be eligible, a roadway must safely accommodate vehicles driving at least 15 miles per hour, meet certain dimension requirements, and have been formally adopted as a public street by the municipality.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s Transportation Revenue Options Commission recently stated there is an estimated nearly $3.9 billion annually in unmet funding needs on locally owned roads and bridges. By 2030, this is forecasted to grow to $5.1 billion annually.
Local officials have several other funding options available to them, including implementing a $5 fee for each vehicle registered to an address within a county and applying for low-interest loans through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank.