Robert E. Latham, executive vice president of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors and spokesman for the Transportation Construction Industries coalition, issued the following statement following the announcement of the highest bid for leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike:
"Replacing one inadequate funding source with another inadequate funding source does not constitute a vision for Pennsylvania's future mobility. Neither the I-80 tolling plan nor the Turnpike lease plan will provide all the revenue necessary to repair the existing highway system or provide for the expansion required for economic growth."Latham noted that Act 44, the current highway funding mechanism, at a minimum, left an annual funding gap of $500 million, most of which would remain even if a Turnpike lease followed a best-case scenario.
The highway construction industry employs approximately 60,000 Pennsylvanians, Latham says.
For more information, visit http://www.TCI-PAC.org
1 comment:
A private company isn't going to give Pennsylvania $12 billion unless it can make a lot more for its bottom line. The only way to make more money and return its $12 billion investment to shareholders is to raise tolls and cut back on employees. The days are numbered for many Turnpike workers should this lease deal go through.
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