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 and advocacy for transportation issues.
He was first elected in 2006, arriving with a keen understanding of transportation policy after serving as legislative liaison for transportation issues in the Casey administration.
The General Assembly’s Transportation Committees are known for their bipartisanship and collaborative approach to addressing the Commonwealth’s transportation needs. Mike’s leadership has been one of the reasons, and we are thankful for his leadership.
TRANSPORTATION ISSUE UPDATE
- State Rep. Mike Carroll announced he will not seek the Democratic nomination to serve the 118th Legislative District in the upcoming primary election.
- WGAL8 is airing a series of stories about how PA’s transportation money is spent. You can find two of them here and here.
- While the highway construction industry was hoping for more, Governor Wolf unveiled a proposed budget that will restore more than $140 million to the Motor License Fund. The State Police are to receive more from the General Fund in the next fiscal year.
- Dangerous driving habits developed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to make the nation’s highways more deadly in the first nine months of 2021, the government projected this week.
- Pennsylvania has the second-most bridges rated “poor” among the 50 states. There are nearly 500 bridges in the Midstate are in that category, and PennDOT says not to worry.
- Gov. Tom Wolf announced a $246 million state investment into the Port of Philadelphia to continue modernization efforts and improve regional economic stability. This funding builds upon the Governor’s comprehensive $300 million Capital Investment Program at the Port of Philadelphia announced in 2016.
- In 2021, the port processed a total of 739,323 TEU, an increase of 15 per cent compared to 640,799 TEU in 2020. Both imports and exports grew significantly in the year, rising 16 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
- U.S Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) announced Friday morning over $230 million in funding for public transportation projects.
- Here in Pennsylvania, and across the country, transit riders, community organizations, environmental justice groups, and unions are spreading the message that public transit is not only foundational to our economies and communities, but is also a civil right.
- PennDOT will construct a new station about a quarter-mile south of Lancaster Avenue on Brandywine Avenue/Route 322. It will replace the existing West Lancaster Avenue station located about a half-mile to the west.