The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently invested nearly $460.8 million to help municipalities maintain their roads and bridges.
The state has 2,500 municipalities that manage 78,000 miles of roadway and more than 6,600 bridges.
Funding is through state gas tax revenues and is allocated based on a formula that takes into account population and miles of locally owned roads. A municipality must formally adopt a roadway as a public street and the roadway must safely accommodate vehicles driving at least 15 miles per hour.
The investments have the support of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB).
“Townships and local governments continue to maintain two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s road miles, and reliable liquid fuels funding remains essential to keeping those roads safe and well-maintained,” PSATS Executive Director David Sanko said. “As the transportation landscape rapidly evolves, with electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and new technologies reshaping how we travel, the traditional revenue streams that support local infrastructure are not keeping pace.”
“These liquid fuels allocations are an essential funding component for preserving this vast network of locally maintained roads, which are so vital to the continued economic viability of this Commonwealth,” PSAB Executive Director Chris Cap said.