HARRISBURG -- Two area legislators are sponsoring a bill that would ease the financial burden on those communities whose streets and roads may be damaged by traffic diverted from Interstate 80, if the highway were to become a toll road.
Reps. Russell Fairchild, R-85 of Lewisburg, and Merle Phillips, R-108 of RR2 Sunbury, are sponsoring legislation, now in the state House, that would require the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to pay for infrastructure costs associated with traffic diversion from the interstate.
"Although the Federal Highway Administration has not approved tolls on Interstate 80, my colleagues and I believe it is in the best interest of the people we serve to have policies in place to respond to the various concerns of traffic diversion," Fairchild said.
"This bill would apply to all state roads converted to tollways, not just Interstate 80," he added.
"During a series of meetings in the area, businesses and residents have testified that with tolls on I-80, they will use other local roads, such as Routes 192, 45, 522, 642 and 11, to get where they need to go," Fairchild said.
"These roads often cannot handle heavier volumes of traffic, some with heavy and wide loads, and maintenance and safety will become major factors in both local PennDOT and municipal budgets," he said. "The issue here is fairness. If the road is tolled and there is traffic diversion, why should local residents have to pay higher taxes for infrastructure repairs, like installing traffic lights?"
A Feb. 3 story in The Daily Item described the possible effects of diverted traffic from I-80 on the village of Potts Grove along Route 642 in northern Northumberland County.
Under Act 44 of 2007, the legislation that authorized the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to move forward with plans to toll I-80, studies are required to determine if vehicle diversion occurs after conversion to a toll road. Those traffic studies must be completed within one year of a conversion to a toll road.
"No studies have taken place because officials with the Turnpike Commission do not believe traffic will be diverted from the tolled highway," Phillips said. "In listening to the hundreds of businesses and thousands of constituents who use I-80 on a frequent basis, commercial truck drivers and residents have told us they will have no other choice than to use alternative routes."
Under their proposal, Fairchild and Phillips believe it should be the policy of the commonwealth to require the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to be fiscally responsible for any increased costs incurred to maintain and repair roads, bridges, highways, and other affected infrastructure as Interstate 80 or any other highways are converted to toll roads.
Specifically, the legislation will require the Turnpike Commission to provide payment for documented increased costs that PennDOT and local municipalities incur as the result of a diversion of traffic from a toll-road conversion.
Fairchild and Phillips pointed to testimony presented at three House Republican Policy Committee hearings held in the past few months as support for their legislation.
Representatives from local trucking companies and its industry organization said at the hearing that since the trucking industry is very competitive and drivers are paid by the mile and not by the hour, a few extra minutes on secondary roads are better than paying the tolls.
Both lawmakers remain optimistic that the Federal Highway Administration will reject the Turnpike Commission's application, as there is only one space left in the pilot program allowing tolling of an existing federal highway, and the administration returned the initial application, citing nearly 30 deficiencies. Those deficiencies included lack of evidence of public hearings in affected counties, detailed descriptions of construction projects to be funded by the tolls and a better analysis of the various bonds being used to fund Act 44.
Most other legislators along the I-80 corridor have joined Phillips and Fairchild in sponsoring this bill. It has been introduced as House Bill 2355 and is awaiting referral to a standing House committee for consideration.
News
Related Photos
-
-
Michael Bavero/The Daily Item
Discussion
Legislators open new front in toll fight
They want Turnpike Commission to pay for damage to local roads
- News
-
-
Storms pound region
A series of thunderstorms prompted flash-flood warnings across the Susquehanna Valley Sunday night.
-
Drizzle doesn't stop Mazeppa parade, service
MAZEPPA — Small-town American spirit was on display in Mazeppa at the community’s annual Memorial Day parade on Sunday.
-
Lions raffling premium tickets
Two lucky people will win Philadelphia Phillies Diamond Club seats for a September game.
-
Dial 211 matches callers, agencies
SELINSGROVE — The Union-Snyder Community Action Agency is preparing to launch Dial 211 in July, but if you call it now, it works.
-
Pastor: Some twist Scriptures for own ends
During the 2012 United Methodist Church General Conference held in Tampa, Fla., earlier this month, church leaders chose to maintain the wording in their Book of Discipline, voting down motions that would have approved same-sex marriages and the ordination of homosexual ministers.
-
Burgers, people sizzle
SUNBURY -- Under clear skies Saturday, the temperature felt like 100 degrees, more like the Fourth of July than the Memorial Day weekend, according to a meteorologist who said the sticky, stifling conditions will persist for several days.
-
It pays to monitor accounts
Several people responded to the scam alert story which appeared last Sunday in The Daily Item to say they too have been recent victims of scams involving the theft of their identities and bank card information.
-
Teens go for baroque
A sonata plays from a Mac book in the music room at Lewisburg Area High School. It’s a baroque-style composition with flavors of Beethoven’s First symphony. Senior Sean Swartz, 18, hums along and does a little conducting with a pen as the music plays.
-
'To Do': Concert
WEST MILTON - Buffalo Valley Singers presents a concert at 7:30 p.m. May 27 at Central Oak Heights, 75 Heritage Road.
-
Firefighter union may char pacts
LEWISBURG — Paid members of the William Cameron Engine Company have voted to unionize under the International Association of Fire Fighters, a move believed to stem from internal tension between paid and volunteer members of the department, according to various sources.
-
M-W rule on drug testing is area’s boldest
MIDDLEBURG — Midd-West is the only school district in the Central Susquehanna Valley that requires students interested in participating in extra-curricular activities to agree to submit to random drug testing.
-
New shelter exec gets busy
When Cathy Teisher stepped down as executive director of Haven Ministries, in March, Pamela Steffen stepped up.
- More News Headlines
-
Storms pound region
