Pa Turnpike Transfers $337.5 Million to PennDOT

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has transferred $337.5 million to the state Department of Transportation to fulfill its legal obligation to provide supplemental transit funding under Act 44 of 2007. This included two payments that were deferred due to COVID-19-related toll revenue losses. Click here for more. 

The Act 44 funding plan was dependent on the tolling of I-80, which was never approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. As such, the commission was forced to shoulder these payments, which has required regular, significant toll increases since 2009. Act 89 of 2013 partially addressed the turnpike’s burden by allowing the payment to decrease from $450 million to $50 million annually beginning on July 1, 2022.  

Expect transportation funding to be a major legislative issue in the coming months.