Skip to main content

Pennsylvania Senate approves transportation budget

After lengthy discussions, the Pennsylvania Senate has approved a US$2.3 billion transportation funding bill to repair aging highways and bridges, and bolster mass transit across the state. The bulk of the money, US$1.65 billion, will go toward fixing bridges and roads; about US$475 million will go to mass transit systems, including metropolitan transportation authority Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The funding will be disbursed across all transportation modes, from gravel r
November 22, 2013 Read time: 1 min
After lengthy discussions, the Pennsylvania Senate has approved a US$2.3 billion transportation funding bill to repair aging highways and bridges, and bolster mass transit across the state.

The bulk of the money, US$1.65 billion, will go toward fixing bridges and roads; about US$475 million will go to mass transit systems, including 1267 Metropolitan Transportation Authority 4288 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The funding will be disbursed across all transportation modes, from gravel roads to superhighways, roads crossing streams and rivers and airports, seaports, rail lines and cycle paths.

The bill also will allow speed limits to increase to 70 mph on certain roads to be determined by a 6111 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation study.

However, the investment comes at a price. Motorists will be footing the bill for the new investments with higher fuel taxes and increased vehicle registration, driver's licence and moving violation fees that will be phased in over five years.

Related Content

  • Cash for Southern Nevada bus rapid transit
    April 25, 2024
    Maryland Parkway Bus project received $150m from the US government
  • Federal Railroad Administration invests in rail safety
    April 17, 2015
    The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded eight grants totalling more than US$21.2 million to invest in highway-rail grade crossing safety, positive train control (PTC) implementation and passenger rail. The eight grants were awarded in states across the country and feature a wide array of projects, including: Grade crossing safety and passenger rail planning grants to California department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation; Transportation Technology Center PTC
  • Shailen Bhatt: Invest in America Act ‘critical' for VRU safety
    June 5, 2020
    ITS America president welcomes new legislation - particularly its potential for reducing road deaths
  • Tackling speed enforcement with electronic vehicle recognition
    July 4, 2012
    An innovative electronic vehicle registration system is being rolled out across Bangkok in Thailand, with road safety and speed enforcement the principal aims Equipment contracts and partnerships relating to a system of electronic vehicle registration (EVR) have been forming in Bangkok over the past couple of years. EVR can be applied to tackle a broad range of problems for transport authorities, including tax evasion, crime and insurance fraud. For Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT), its EVR sy