Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a measure to rein in the Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation’s recently announced plan to use public-private partnerships and new tolls for major bridge reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
State Senate Bill 382, approved on a party-line vote by the chamber’s Transportation Committee on March 17, with Republicans in the majority, would require Pennsylvania’s Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board to provide public access to analyses for any P3 proposal involving a user fee, and provide a 30-day comment period before voting on the project. The bill also would also require applicable P3 projects to receive concurrent legislative endorsement before going forward.
The Associated Pennsylvania Constructors came outagainst the plan, arguing that it is risky to rely on tolling to pay for construction projects.
Last November, the state board authorized PennDOT to征求建议在20至30年的特许经营协议下设计，建立，运营和维护该州围绕该州周围的主要现有州际桥梁。电子收费将在完成的结构上实施，以进行改进，并将任何超额收入应用于该地区的其他道路和桥梁项目。18luck官网
该计划估计将产生22亿美元的建筑工作，以帮助Penndot缩小每年81亿美元的资金差距，用于康复和维护项目。18luck官网如果没有P3计划，这些项目的资金将从其他州际项目中撤出，而维护将占用地区级运输预算的更18luck官网大份额，该机构在声明中表示。
2月，Penndot宣布正在考虑该计划的九座桥梁，并符合“具有及时关注及时关注的大量规模的标准，并需要大量资金来恢复或更换”，并提供了在内部开始建设的可行性。两到四年。
The state’s trucking industry voiced its opposition to the plan, citing the additional financial burden new tolls would place on motor freight operators.
Although PennDOT’s P3 evaluation process is subject to public involvement requirements of state and federal environmental review processes, the bill's lead sponsor, state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R) considers them insufficient.
“当时我们的成分我透明度s of paramount concern, we must ensure [their] voices are heard, that they are involved in the process, and that the General Assembly is ultimately the one responsible for such decisions in our Commonwealth," he said in a memorandum accompanying the proposed bill.
PennDOT countered that adding new public input requirements that are already part of the agency’s normal review processes would “undercut” and “politicize” a process aimed at fostering innovation and efficiency, according to a statement opposing SB 382. The agency further asserted that the bill would add “unnecessary bureaucracy” that the state’s original P3 legislation was designed to avoid, and it "forces proposed P3 projects to compete with other important issues and priorities for the legislature’s attention and action.”
全州参议院计划于3月23日对SB 382进行第二票，在此期间可以对该法案进行修正。
If approved a third time, the bill will then go to the state House of Representatives for consideration. Republicans control both chambers of the Pennsylvania legislature, which will be in session throughout the year.
Projects currently under consideration for PennDOT’s major bridge P3 program include:
- I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge Replacement Project (Berks County)
- I-79 Widening, Bridges and Bridgeville Interchange Reconfiguration (Allegheny County)
- I-80 Canoe Creek Bridges (Clarion County)
- I-80 Nescopeck Creek Bridges（Luzerne County）
- I-80北叉桥项目（杰斐逊县）
- Lehigh River Bridge Project（Luzerne和Carbon Counties）的I-80
- I-81 Susquehanna项目（Susquehanna县）
- i - 83 (Daup南桥项目hin County)
- I-95 Girard Point Bridge Improvement Project (Philadelphia County)
在宾夕法尼亚州的其他建筑新闻中，在宾夕法尼亚州中部中部的北部北部地区进行了工作，冬季关闭后恢复了。特朗布尔公司（Trumbull Corp.承包商还开始进行挖掘和堤防工作，这将使铺路可以朝着Winfield附近的美国15号交流进行汇合。东侧的铺路工作也正在恢复，整个北部将于2022年完成。
Construction of the Thruway’s southern section, delayed due to the discovery of coal ash ponds within the alignment, is also scheduled to begin next year. The entire 12.4-mile, $865 million project would be done in 2027.
This story was updated with new information on March 26
