PHIA News Digest – Vol. 63
Governors of 17 states including Pennsylvania announce clean energy, transportation agreement
Governors from 17 states, including Pennsylvania, said Tuesday that they will work together to develop cleaner energy and transportation as they look to lead a national shift to renewable fuels.
The states vary widely in their approach and sources of fuel, but the bipartisan group said its goal is to cooperate on planning and policies.
DEP Offers Grants to Support Alternative Fuel Transportation Projects in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is encouraging Pennsylvanian business and community leaders to be better caretakers of the environment by offering incentives for the purchase and use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. DEP’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program offers funding for innovative, advanced fuel and vehicle technology projects for cleaner alternative transportation within the commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Facing Transportation Funding Shortfall
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Leslie Richards dropped a bit of a bombshell on the state’s transportation world when she announced that her department was facing a shortfall of at least $6 billion. Richards, who took office in May 2015, testified before the state Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 2 that while the previous administration had projected $34.9 million in funding over the state’s mandated 12-year plan (2015-2026), there was less than $29 billion. She has to update the plan in August as chairwoman of the 15-member Pennsylvania Transportation Commission.
2,000 bridge fixes later, PA is still second worst in country
Pennsylvania has fixed about 2,000 bridges that were once considered structurally deficient, but the state’s crumbling spans are in worse shape than those in almost all other states.
Pennsylvania is second worst both in number of structurally deficient bridges and in the percentage of bridges in need of repairs, according to an analysis released Thursday by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
Why our region’s D-graded infrastructure threatens the economy
Pa.’s decrepit infrastructure can be narrowed down to two categories: transportation and water.
