As the 2023-24 legislative session winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the public policy accomplishments that will improve various facets of our transportation infrastructure and make a significant improvement to our quality of life.
This legislative session will be remembered for advancing solutions that helped shore up bridge and highway funding, primarily by phasing out the State Police subsidy paid from of gas tax revenue.
The annual subsidy peaked at more than $800 million before the General Assembly and governor began reducing it by $125 million per year. It is on target to fall to zero in Fiscal Year 2027, enabling nearly all gas tax revenue to be used for bridge and highway projects, as intended.
The General Assembly also created an electric vehicle fee system in order to recover the cost of wear and tear from those vehicles. While the EV market share has not grown as quickly as initially projected, it has grown to more than 60,000 in Pennsylvania from just 17,000 in 2022. All-electric vehicles had not contributed to highway wear and tear before the EV fees were created.
The legislature also stepped up in making automated speed enforcement permanent as the five-year pilot program faced expiration. The pilot confirmed that the program works as intended and clearly helped to slow traffic in work zones, protecting vehicle occupants and construction workers alike.
Despite the progress cited above, there remains much to do, particularly as it relates to decades-old bridges that need to be restored or replaced. Inflation continues to eat away at the cost of materials and wages. Funding for public transportation must be addressed early in the legislative session that begins in January to avoid service cuts across the state.
And finally, there is uncertainty about federal funding as the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act is set to expire in 2026. So, while the transportation industry has made progress recently, there are almost always more boxes waiting to be checked.