As someone who has worked in Pennsylvania’s highway construction industry my entire life, I’ve seen firsthand what strong infrastructure funding can accomplish. I’ve also seen what happens when that funding falls short, and we can’t meet basic needs.

Pennsylvania has seen a 41% drop in asphalt tonnage placed on state roads. Let’s throw out the COVID years, and back up to years 2016-19, when PennDOT was placing 6.9 million tons of asphalt annually. Now, from 2022-25, that number has dropped to an annual average of 4.2 million asphalt tons placed. What this means is that PennDOT can’t afford to pave state-owned roads every 15 to 20 years, which is the normal paving cycle. At the above numbers we are now at a 25- to 30-year paving cycle. It also means you are getting tar and chip, instead of paving. It’s why you are seeing the roads around you falling apart — PennDOT simply does not have the money to fix the roads correctly.

I have also lived in rural Pennsylvania my entire life, and the lack of adequate transportation funding hits us the hardest. In 2013, Pennsylvania made major progress with the passage of Act 89. But that was 12 years ago. Due to inflation alone, the buying power of those dollars has eroded significantly, while the needs have only grown. While the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has helped improve some major highways and bridges, federal money can’t be used on the smaller, state-owned roads and bridge structures that are the backbone of rural Pennsylvania.

These aren’t isolated backroads — these are the very roads that keep agriculture moving, emergency responders reaching their destinations, and communities connected. Without action in this year’s state budget, we’re not just facing potholes and detours — we’re facing a backslide into crisis.

Meanwhile, contractors across the state are laying off skilled workers, some even seeking jobs out of state just to stay afloat. Maintaining my current workforce, and keeping everyone that I have employed, is what keeps me up at night. It’s why I have gotten active politically, even though I don’t enjoy that aspect of my job. I don’t want to tell any of my employees that I don’t have work for them.

Our industry has put forth a solution that is both targeted and achievable. A short-term bonding program could generate approximately $600 million annually, specifically for the state roads and bridges that were ineligible for IIJA funding. This can be done by shifting a modest portion of existing spending away from non-transportation uses and back toward its original intent — supporting our highway and bridge system — without increasing taxes.

With this plan, Pennsylvania could resurface 500 additional miles of roadway and rehabilitate or replace 75 additional bridges each year. It would strengthen our economy, protect jobs, and keep our communities safe.

The time to act is now. If our leaders don’t prioritize transportation funding in this budget cycle, the cost of inaction — in lives, livelihoods, and lost economic competitiveness — will be far greater down the road.

We owe it to every Pennsylvanian who drives to work, runs a business, or simply wants to get home safely. Let’s invest in the roads that connect us — before we fall even further behind.

Scott Grannas is president of Grannas Bros. Stone & Asphalt Co., which was founded by his grandfather and great uncle in 1957. Scott has worked there in various capacities since 1993. He became sole owner in 2015, and represents the third generation of family managing the business. He is also the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors board chair.