From the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE:
Third time’s the gong for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and lawmakers who wanted to toll Interstate 80 across the commonwealth’s northern tier.
For these transportation tap dancers who repeatedly submitted this plan, the Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday reiterated loudly why the state’s proposal is out of step with federal law: Toll money must be used for the roads that are tolled. It’s not a pot of gold for mass transit and other purposes…
The road ahead begins by eliminating the cash-wasting Turnpike Commission and voting out the lawmakers who backed Pennsylvania into this dead end…
Click here to read the full article.
“Toll money must be used for the roads that are tolled. It’s not a pot of gold for mass transit and other purposes.”
Does this mean that taking money from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and using it for purposes other than the turnpike itself is illegal?
Does this mean that the turnpike will no longer be used as a cash cow for politicians’ pet projects? Does this mean that the state will have to consider living within a budget?
Remember, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is also a part of the Interstate Highway System, I-76. If this is true, then the turnpike would not be running at a deficit due to all the raids on its treasury.