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Senator Jake Corman (R-Centre) The recent tragedy in Minneapolis where a major highway bridge collapsed, killing several people and injuring many more, brought the safety of our nation's public bridges and highways under the microscope. Last month, Governor Ed Rendell signed legislation into law that devotes $317 million to fixing our state's ailing mass transit system, with some funding for highway and bridge maintenance. Unfortunately, the Governor's plan falls short by not addressing new state highway and bridge needs for the rest of Pennsylvania. There are many needs in central and western Pennsylvania for new and expanded highways to deal with safety and traffic volume concerns. Specifically in the 34th Senatorial District, the South Central Centre County Transportation Study, which makes 322 four lanes in Centre County and the I-99 / I-80 interchange remain unfunded, as does the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway, the four-lane highway around Lewisburg and Shamokin Dam in Union County. All of these projects, and many more like them Central and Western Pennsylvania, need serious attention, but without a dedicated source of funding they will remain at a complete standstill. Further, not one of these projects will be completed as a result of the bill the Governor just signed; a bill that I opposed. That is because this flawed legislation did not have one penny dedicated to new roads and highways. In order to fund these important projects, we need to think beyond the customary approach of simply relying on taxpayer dollars and examine what successful strategies have worked in other states. I believe Pennsylvania's roadways can benefit from the many advantages of public-private partnerships (PPP's), which are contractual agreements between the state and a private sector entity in which both parties contribute towards improving the state's transportation system. Currently, 21 states have passed legislation providing the legal authority for PPP's to address public transportation needs. PPP's essentially create a win-win situation for all parties by contractually creating specific roles, risks and rewards for each entity involved. This incentive-based system naturally motivates all parties to achieve maximum performance while remaining flexible and cooperative to produce positive results. The benefits to the state, the private partners and the citizens include: faster project completion times reducing inconvenient construction delays, improved roadway quality through the use of innovative materials and collaborative planning, the use of private resources in place of taxpayer dollars, and project cost savings. It is only through innovative attempts such as this that we who reside outside of the Philadelphia area can see increased capacity and new highways for safer travel. I am committed to this course of action because we must find a solution for the ever decreasing pots of money for new highway construction. I truly believe that PPP's can have a significant, positive impact on Pennsylvania's highway and bridge infrastructure. This fall I will be orchestrating a working group of like-minded senators to develop legislation that would grant authority for PPP's in Pennsylvania. Senator Jake Corman, the Senate's Majority Policy Chairman, represents the 34th Senatorial District, which includes Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry and Union Counties. CapNews Guest Speaker: Archives |
