Down River: Down This Road Before 2/25

By John Lipez

Down This Road Before:
Did you see the story elsewhere in this Record edition about possible tolls on some nine bridges across the state? They include three on Interstate 80, the closest in Jefferson County.

This is not the first time, and likely not the last, that this “pay as you use” plan is brought forward. A little Down River research shows that 2007 was the year when Harrisburg passed Act 44, ill-fated legislation which made I-80 tolls part of the plan to provide dollars to repair and rebuild the state’s highways and bridges.

That plan never came to fruition. You may or may not recall there was a near-unanimous outcry of opposition from government and business interests all along the I-80 corridor from the Ohio line to the New Jersey border.

If my memory is correct, it never happened because the feds never gave an okay, based upon what was described as earlier Congressional intent that interstate tolls could be used only for rebuilding any particular highway, not other highway and bridge projects. So that one got shot down.

Then in 2014 the interstate tolling idea resurfaced, this time part of an Obama administration $302 billion bill designed to eliminate an approaching shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund.

In the 2014 instance the feds were pushing the idea because new dollars were needed to pay for interstate reconstruction; this was a major shift over the past funding mechanism where there was sufficient funding in the federal Highway Trust Fund.

Highway building types lined up behind the federal proposal. The head of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association said 35 states had used tolling as a “proven and effective option” for transportation improvements.

But opposition was immediate too back in 2014. Representatives from the trucking industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were reported to prefer instead increasing federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.

But it didn’t happen in 2014 as American interstate highways have largely been toll free since the system was started in 1956; building and maintenance supported by a per-gallon tax on gas, increased but three times, the last in 1993 and here in 2021 it remains the same as in 1993: 18.4 cents per gallon.

2007: nope; 2014; nope. And seven years later, 2021? Let’s see. We can tell you that opposition has been quick from state legislators where these bridges are located. State Sen. Cris Dush (R-25) was among Jefferson County area legislators who late last week announced immediate opposition to the proposal.

Dush and the others called the proposal “a tremendous blow to the local economy” and urged residents to make their views heard during the public input process on the proposal.

(And yes, Cris Dush is our new state senator. His sprawling district covers Jefferson, Cameron, Clearfield, part of Centre, Clinton, Elk, Potter and Tioga counties. Yes, we’re on the hind end of the 25th; yes, we’re closer to state senators Jake Corman in Centre County and Gene Yaw in Lycoming County. If you want something else to make your voice heard about, stay tuned when the once-a-decade redistricting process begins in the not too distant future. Gerrymandering has not been good for Clinton County).
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I’m with JayPa on This One:
In case you missed it, the Penn State board of trustees last week voted approval for a PSU plan to commit $48.3 million for improvements to the school’s Lasch Football Building. The vote last Friday was 27-6 to move ahead
Among the “no” votes was Jay Paterno, son of the school’s legendary football coach, Joe Paterno. The younger Paterno made an impassioned plea, stating this is not the time to modernize the football facility. “People across this commonwealth have lost jobs, people are standing in lines at food banks and can’t pay their rent.”

Among the “yes” votes was former Penn State linebacker Brandon Short. The former All-American said the school should consider spending even more on football. “There’s no other place where we can get a higher return on our investment than an investment in our football program.”

Mark me down with JayPa on this one. When the football coach makes millions more than the school president; when the football coach can take a helicopter to Southern Columbia High School to (unsuccessfully) recruit a player, our priorities are badly out of whack.
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Note to Woodward Township:
For those of you involved in the township sewer authority – Dunnstown fire company scrum, can you please call a time-out? Can we lower the temperature in the township?

Woodward Township has these personality-driven flare-ups every so often and rarely does anything good come from them. Now is the time to reason together. Stop the infighting, start cooperating.

I’m asking as a bona fide township taxpayer/supporter of long standing. Let’s resolve these issues amicably. Otherwise, no one wins.
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For Those of You Scoring at Home:
If you’re keeping track as more arrests are made into the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Pennsylvania stands in a second place tie with New York in terms of most citizens arrested. Texas (no great surprise there, you think?) leads with 21, Pennsylvania and New York next with 16 each.