Here at REVITALIZATION, we’ve been reporting on Pennsylvania‘s innovative approach to funding the renovation of the state’s hundreds of deficient and derelict bridges, such as this article and this one.
The state has been on the forefront of confronting America’s $7 trillion infrastructure renewal deficit, which has been measured and reported on annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) going back even before it was discussed in The Restoration Economy back in 2002.
Now, on November 12, 2020, Pennsylvania’s Public Private Transportation Partnership (P3) Board approved a new transportation initiative that will help accelerate the reconstruction and rehabilitation of major bridges in partnership with the private sector.
Through this program, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will be able to accelerate critical work on major bridges across the state through the consideration of user fees.
The Major Bridge P3 program will allow for the delivery of these major bridges through the appropriate contracting P3 delivery model for each project or package of projects, and will help PennDOT achieve the following goals:
- Accelerate the renewal of major bridges to ensure public safety;
- Avoid time and financial impacts of travel diversion resulting from bridge restrictions and closures due to bridge condition;
- Help offset gas tax revenue losses, as identified by the state Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic;
- Ensure users (including out-of-state traffic) contribute fairly to the replacement or rehabilitation of the bridges based on usage; and
- Create a sustainable funding model for the state’s major bridges.
PennDOT will consider the P3 delivery model for major bridges and apply it in a geographically balanced manner statewide. Major bridges are structures of significance based on physical size, location, and cost to replace or rehabilitate. These structures are in a condition that warrants timely attention to enhance safety and to avoid disruptions and community impacts if closures or weight restrictions were imposed.
By using a P3 delivery method, PennDOT can leverage private-sector innovation to address complex projects and to help ensure the longevity of infrastructure investments.
The Major Bridge P3 program is a component of PennDOT’s forthcoming Pathways initiative, part of the department’s ongoing work to explore sustainable transportation funding options in response to a growing highway and bridge funding gap. Seventy-four percent of highway and bridge funding is generated through gas taxes, but fuel consumption has been progressively decreasing.
The initiative will aim to provide travelers, residents, and businesses with high-quality transportation infrastructure by studying and implementing alternative funding solutions that could address near- and long-term highway and bridge needs.
Photo of bridges in Pittsburgh by Bruce Emmerling from Pixabay.