You'd think PennDOT would have learned a lesson from the slow and incompetent response to the Valentine's Day storm last month.
It doesn't look that way. We might be seeing a St. Patrick's Day meltdown by the state's embattled transportation department.
I spent 40 minutes on Route 422 today and did not see a single PennDOT truck on the road during that time. I also saw no evidence of plowing or salting.
This isn't an interstate highway, but Route 422 is still once of the most heavily traveled roads in Pennsylvania.
So, where's PennDOT? Did it send all its trucks to Interstate 78 to avoid another debable?
In a 10-mile stretch of 422, I passed one accident where a car struck a utility pole on the side of the road and came up on a near crash when another vehicle slid into the next lane.
It was obvious the road wasn't pre-treated to prevent icing.
When I did make it into work, I came across a press release from PennDOT urging motorists to "avoid unnecessary travel." I guess that's the PennDOT strategy. Stay home until until the storm passes.
"Forecasters are now calling for everything from a mix of sleet and snow to nearly two feet of heavy, wet snow depending on location," state Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler said in the release. "Motorists should travel this afternoon and evening only if absolutely necessary -- for their own safety."
Isn't that comforting? Once again, motorists should know that they travel at their own risk on Pennsylvania roads. Where does that $6 billion we spend every year on PennDOT go?
I know Gov. Ed Rendell has a habit of diverting highway funding to his transit union pals in Philadelphia. Has funding for PennDOT been gutted to such a degree that it can't even plow the state's roads during a winter storm?
Does anybody have a pickup truck with a plow that PennDOT can borrow?
In case the governor is preoccupied watching basketball on TV today, here's a message I'd like somebody to pass on: The roads are in terrible shape and PennDOT is AWOL again.
1 comment:
Tony,
I travel Rt. 222 & Rt. 30 to get to work, and I only saw one PennDOT truck sitting at the on Ramp smoking a cig while there was already 3 inches of snow on the ground. I know it is just a matter of time before Rendell's Kook Aid drinkers start to give him a pass once again.
You make another valid point about Rendell diverting funds to his buddies at SEPTA. I know it was not talked about much, but I heard about Rendell diverting more money just recently to SEPTA to delay their fare increases for a few months.
Let's not also forget his diversion of funds in an attempt to keep the Pittsburgh Penguins from relocating out of Pennsylvania by getting them a new arena.
Another factor to point out is from an Old School Fast Eddie Rendell dirty Philadelphia style stunt. He could also be using PennDot's poor performance as an excuse to justify his insane tax increases and pressuring the reformers in Harrisburg into caving. Heck I would not put it past the Jabba The Hut of Harrisburg to be doing this all on purpose by holding the highways hostage until the people get on board with his agenda. We used to see that a lot with Governor Casey.
I guess the real question is, what is the life expectancy for a coat of teflon?
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