MARCH 14, 2012 | Commentary by JONATHAN HUMMA, NATHAN BENEFIELD

Pennsylvania's Fork in the Road on Transportation Spending

Motorists frustrated with high gas prices should be on the alert—your pain at the pump could get worse, and it has nothing to do with Middle East tensions or gas company profits. Sadly, many in the transportation industry and some lawmakers in Pennsylvania believe the only way to fix our roads is to increase gasoline taxes and charge dri

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 | Testimony by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

Transportation Funding Must be Tied to Reform

Governor Corbett's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission identified the dilapidated state of Pennsylvania's roads and bridges and future infrastructure needs.  Pennsylvania routinely finishes among the worst states in rankings of road conditions, and among the highest in the number of structurally deficient bridges.  Yet P

JANUARY 17, 2011 | Policy Report by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania

A Blueprint for Transforming the Commonwealth

Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition.  To provide a roadmap for success in this critical endeavor, the Commonwealth Foundation has compiled a list of 80 policy recommendations for Gov. Corbett and state legi

AUGUST 17, 2010 | Commentary by NATALIE ROGOL

Time to Exit Rendell's Road to Higher Taxes

Governor Rendell has proposed a series of tax increases to fill a $415 million transportation funding deficit created when the federal government rejected his plan to toll I-80 for a third time. The state's highway system is in sorry condition, but not because taxpayers pay too little. Pennsylvania spends more on transportation

JUNE 23, 2010 | Testimony by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

More Reforms Before More Revenue in Transportation

Testimony before the Senate Transportation Committee

Good morning and thank you Chairman Rafferty for the invitation to testify before your committee and for your consideration of our policy solutions to help address Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructure funding challenges. While many in this building and in the transportation industry view Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructu

MAY 3, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Transportation Special Session Survival Guide

Gov. Rendell has called a special session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to discuss transportation funding. Here are some resources on financing and managing Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructure.

APRIL 14, 2010 | Commentary by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE, NATHAN BENEFIELD

Transportation Funding Solutions Require Reforms and Reprioritization

Now that the federal government has rejected the ill-conceived plan to toll I-80 for a third, and supposedly final time, Gov. Rendell and the General Assembly must implement serious solutions to the Commonwealth's transportation funding challenges.

JANUARY 26, 2010 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD

Five Alternatives to Tolling I-80

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) continues its push for federal approval to toll Interstate-80, claiming that without it bridges will collapse, highways will crumble, and dogs and cats will start living together.  But the proposal represents little more than a tax on I-80 drivers, as 40% of the toll revenue would be diverted to ot

NOVEMBER 10, 2009 | Commentary by ELIZABETH STELLE, KATRINA CURRIE

Break Up SEPTA

How can Pennsylvania lawmakers avoid this mess? The first step is to open mass transit in Philadelphia to competitive contracting, whereby private companies would compete to operate SEPTA's network. Cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston use competitive contracting

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 | Testimony by RANDAL O'TOOLE

Testimony on Proposed Pennsylvania High-Speed MagLev

The proposed 17-mile Pittsburgh Airport-to-Greensburg maglev line is projected to cost $3.7 billion, or nearly $220 million per mile. Projects like this typically go over budget by an average of 40 percent, so the real cost is likely to be more than $5.2 billion and more than $300 million per mile. That is easily enough money to build an eight-l