It's time to rebuild Pennsylvania

As a former deputy secretary of PennDot under Gov. Tom Ridge, I have had the opportunity to see most of Pennsylvania from my car. From Venango County to Pike County to every county in between, I have traversed almost every highway and byway in this great state and have enjoyed every minute of it.

While the landscape of Pennsylvania is beautiful, many of its roads, bridges and transit systems are in need of serious repair. Pennsylvania's infrastructure is aging significantly due to decades of underinvestment. Roadways, bridges, transit, aviation, and ports have all suffered from insufficient funding, creating significant maintenance backlogs.

For decades, infrastructure improvements have been funded principally by a tax on gasoline. But due in part to an increase in the vehicle fuel efficiency standards, Pennsylvania now collects less fuel tax revenue per mile traveled than it has at any time in the past.

In April, Gov. Corbett named me along with 39 other people from throughout the state to serve on the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. Our purpose was to develop a comprehensive, strategic proposal for addressing the commonwealth's transportation funding needs.

Last month, the commission submitted a report to the governor that called for raising an additional $2 billion annually to meet Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructure needs. The report not only included a list of possible revenue sources, but ideas about modernization and cost-savings for PennDot.

All in all, the panel recommended 24 revenue-generating proposals such as consolidating driver's license centers from 71 to 60, bundling bridge design work to increase value, and modernizing shipping trends, among other ideas. Additional proposals called for generating the revenue through an increase in the annual vehicle and drivers' fees to inflation - by $13 and $5, respectively. The fees paid by citizens have not been adjusted since 1987.

Another recommendation unanimously agreed to by the group was a proposal to uncap the oil franchise tax, which would generate an additional $1.361 million to help pay for aging infrastructure. The tax - which has not been adjusted for inflation since 1997 - is the price oil companies pay for doing business in Pennsylvania. The price would not be paid at the pump by consumers.

The additional revenue, if immediately and properly invested, would go a long way toward allowing the commonwealth to repair aging roads and bridges while meeting the capital requirements for our mass transit systems.

Improvements would include system-wide safety enhancements and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS); reduction in structurally deficient bridges; improved roadway resurfacing and reconstruction; new road and bridge capacity projects; increased transit facilities and services; and upgrades and improvements for rail, airports, and ports.

The consequences of doing nothing will impact our economy, environment, and public safety, as we will be unable to undertake new projects to relieve congestion and will fall further behind in maintenance. A safe and efficient transportation network is critical to economic growth - it reduces travel time and increases reliability, thereby lowering costs and leading to greater economic productivity for businesses. Businesses depend on a reliable system for manufacturing and delivery.

Addressing these issues now will jump start our economy and provide long-term benefits to our regional economic competitiveness.

I urge Gov. Corbett to embrace these recommendations and take up the mantle of leadership to advance a new transportation investment strategy. I am hopeful that the governor and General Assembly will work cooperatively this fall to make these much-needed investments.