Trending
Some people old enough to remember the late 1960s and 1970s might recall a Pennsylvania highway funding "tidbit" of that time.
The essence of it was that once the major highway projects in and around the state's big cities were completed, construction attention would shift to places such as the six-county Southern Alleghenies region.
The trouble was that when it was this part of the state's turn to be accorded deserved attention, funding started to dry up, and much of the promised attention was put on hold until some future time.
Fifty or more years later, it is difficult to assess how much highway funding -- for new construction or maintenance -- never materialized because of the lesser political clout that this region wielded.
Progress has been achieved to a degree in the decades since, but the region still is lacking on numerous fronts, including completion of the southernmost leg of Route 219 in Somerset County, as well as in regard to Route 22 east of Hollidaysburg. Back then, who would have thought a half-century would pass without either of those projects getting the attention they deserve.
At this time, it is reasonable to ponder how much economic development might have been lost because those projects have remained in limbo -- as well as Route 219 north to Interstate 80. Promises made, and promises not kept.
But can there truly be hope that a new development on the state front will give a fair shake to the Southern Alleghenies? Probably all that can be said is "we'll see."
The issue at hand is the weaning of the state police from Motor License Fund subsidies, allowing that money to be put to the use for what it no doubt was intended initially, maintaining and building roads.
Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said during a visit to PennDOT District 9 headquarters in Hollidaysburg on Nov. 3 that the change regarding state police funding would allow more attention to maintaining secondary roads and upgrading PennDOT's fleet.
According to PennDOT officials, the funds in question will be distributed across the state by a formula based on the number of road miles and bridges and their conditions along with vehicle miles traveled.
How this region will fare under the formula in question remains to be seen, but there seems to be grounds for cautious optimism about what will take place, going forward.
According to Carroll, the "financial ability to take on new capacity projects is not in the mix."
He said the smart thing to do is to maintain the network currently in place. He added strict attention to maintenance is just as necessary for roads and bridges as it is for private homes.
Considerable progress has been made on the maintenance front since the 1990s and early 2000s, but there is plenty more to do. However, PennDOT also needs to direct close attention to any opportunities for new construction that might be financially feasible.
Many Pennsylvania residents, seeing new construction in other states, often wonder why that can take place in those states but not here. Whatever the reason regarding specific ventures elsewhere, the Keystone State needs to do better.
The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and now the money being weaned from state police funding are providing highway project funding opportunities that might not be available again for decades.
Fix some roads; save some lives.