Financial concerns won’t halt Pa. turnpike road projects

After a four-month review of new roadwork based on spending concerns, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission decided Tuesday not to cancel any projects in its $5.7 billion capital budget. The commission ordered the project review in July after it approved an increase in tolls for the ninth year in a row. At that time, chairman Sean Logan said the agency could face serious financial problems in the future because it was spending about $600 million of its $980 million annual budget on debt service. Mr. Logan and vice chairman William Lieberman voted against the capital budget when it was approved in May. The board reached a consensus Tuesday not to cancel any capital projects, but there was no formal vote. Mr. Logan said in a statement Tuesday that the agency needs to continue investing in the road system, parts of which haven’t been updated since the turnpike opened in the 1940s. The analysis by turnpike staff showed there would be “simply no benefit” to reducing capital spending and it would not help the agency avoid yearly toll increases in the future.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2016/11/16/Financial-concerns-won-t-halt-Pa-turnpike-road-projects/stories/201611160095