COMMISSIONERS BACK TRANSPORTATION PLAN
By Alex Davis Endeavor News

State Senator Joe Scarnati is rallying local support for a multi-billion-dollar transportation plan he believes will best serve Cameron, Potter and other rural counties.

Scarnati, pro tempore of the Senate, is prime sponsor of Senate Bill 1505, introduced in June and currently before the Transportation Committee.

On Wednesday, his plan earned the support of Potter County Commissioners Doug Morley, Paul Heimel and Susan Kefover. They issued a news release encouraging public officials throughout northcentral Pennsylvania to support SB 1505.

"The key element is the development of a sustainable source of revenue to address the state's deteriorating roads and bridges, dozens of which can be found in Potter and neighboring counties," said Chairman Morley. "Another important part of Senator Scarnati's plan is its support of continued economic development in this region by removing any possibility of tolling the traffic on Interstate 80."

The commissioners listed other elements of Scarnati's long-term transportation funding plan as follows:

transfer the funding of the Pennsylvania State Police out of the state's Motor License Fund and instead using a dedicated portion of the existing personal income tax; issue general obligation bonds to cover the transitional period for the shift of Motor License Funds away from the state police and back to highway funding ($255 million);

continue to rely on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to fund a large portion of the revenue used to support public transportation; lower the expected growth in tolls expected by Pa. Act 44 on the mainline of the turnpike by 20 percent; audit turnpike finances and use any cost-savings from ensuing recommendations to supplement statewide transportation spending;

increase the required local match for transit operating expenses from 15 percent to 18 percent;

plan for up to $1 billion in additional debt to be issued over the next 20 years, as needed, to fund long-term transportation projects;

initiate public/private partnerships to construct and manage new-capacity highway and transportation improvement projects.

The commissioners vowed to continue advocating for state funds to improve deteriorating highways and bridges in Potter County.

They pointed out that the recently passed state budget includes 411 structurally defi- cient state-owned bridges that are anticipated to be repaired or replaced in fiscal year 2008- 09.

Three of those bridges are in Potter County: replacement of Rt. 872 bridge over Sinnemahoning Creek in Portage and Sylvania townships; rehabilitation of the Rt. 4019 bridge over Oswayo Creek in Shinglehouse Borough; and replacement of the Rt. 1001 bridge over Rogers Run in Ulysses Township.