KTFC NEWSLETTERS

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: This e-newsletter frequently highlights the multi-modal nature of our integrated transportation system. Today we shine the light on our fellow Coalition member, Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail. The news is that WPPR has a new...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: Governor Wolf and PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian announced the approval of funding for 64 projects to improve transportation alternatives and enhance mobility and public accessibility across the state, 43 of which are funded through...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: As we approach the 2022 primary and general elections, we wanted to update and distribute the Coalition’s positions on various transportation funding issues. The target audience for this information in the current election cycle...

Given that Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax hasn’t increased since 2016, and the federal tax hasn’t increased since 1994, one would be hard-pressed to explain how fuel taxes have contributed to the recent spike in gasoline prices. They haven’t. Yet a number of state and...

Dear KTFC member or friend: Our Coalition members in western PA got some good news last week when they received word that PennDOT and Norfolk Southern are negotiating a deal that would add a second daily Amtrak route between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Coalition member...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: Our good friend Mike Carroll, Democratic chair of the House Transportation Committee, has announced he will not seek reelection in the 118th Legislative District. His shoes will be awfully hard to fill. Few can match his knowledge of...

Dear KTFC member or friend: According to initial reports, there appeared to be no life-threatening injuries when a Pittsburgh bridge collapsed around 7 this morning. Ten people reported minor injuries, and three were hospitalized. Three or four vehicles, including a...

Dear KTFC member or friend: As we begin the new year, our attention turns to the series of House and Senate budget hearings. In particular, this is quite an important year for PennDOT’s budget as we move closer to the expiration of the Turnpike’s $400 million annual...

Dear KTFC member or friend: Dear KTFC member or friend: Coalition members were treated to a very informative update at our monthly meeting this week, thanks to PennDOT Deputy Secretaries Jennie Louwerse and Larry Shifflet. The discussion covered a broad range of...

Dear KTFC member or friend: For the second time in two weeks, we have a bit of positive news regarding transportation funding. At the recent annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, participants heard from a Federal...

Dear KTFC member or friend: Our friends in the highway construction business received a bit of welcome news this week by way of an update on this year’s construction season. Thanks to a $279 million infusion in American Rescue Act funds, PennDOT is on target to spend...

Dear KTFC member or friend: Last week, the House Transportation Committee held a hearing on PennDOT’s proposed public-private bridge initiative, which would provide for repair or replacement of as many as nine major bridges across the Commonwealth. To pay for this...

Dear KTFC member or friend: As President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure measure remains up in the air in the U.S. House, our Coalition this week launched an outreach effort to Pennsylvania’s members of Congress to encourage them to support the plan. The measure...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: To the surprise of many, the U.S. Senate approved and sent to the House a bipartisan, trillion-dollar physical infrastructure bill. The vote was 69-30, with 19 Republicans joining 50 Democrats in support of the measure. In recent...

Dear KTFC member or friend: Lately I’ve noticed quite a number of articles on the idea of charging a fee for packages delivered by Amazon, UPS, Door Dash, and even ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. The revenue would be used to fund transportation...

Dear KTFC member or friend: The General Assembly approved and sent to Governor Wolf a $40 billion state budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, beating the constitutional deadline by several days. It included a $279 million infusion for highway construction, thanks in...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: APC’s Bob Latham has been busy lately, hitting the public affairs talk show circuit in support of his association’s initiative to restore the equivalent of 11 cents per gallon to the state fund that pays for highway and bridge...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: Folks, as most of you know, I’ve spent a good many years working on transportation issues, and it always warms my heart to engage with other people who are passionate advocates of matters surrounding the mobility of people, materials...

Dear KTFC Members & Friends: As if we needed yet another example of coronavirus havoc, this week we received word that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has pushed the REAL ID deadline to May, 2023. The department cited the pandemic as the reason,...