As we emerge from a holiday weekend, a couple of updates on issues we’ve covered regularly in recent months…
Because Pennsylvanians have been driving less – and therefore generating less fuel tax revenue to be used for bridge and highway projects – PennDOT is projecting that it will spend at least $300 million less on construction projects in the coming months than it had planned. In the worst case, PennDOT says the shortfall in highway revenue could be $800 million. We will keep our fingers crossed.
Our second issue is automated speed enforcement in work zones. We now have three months of data, and PennDOT says about 30,000 violation notices have been issued to the owners of vehicles caught driving through active work zones at least 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Although the number of violations may seem high, it is almost certainly stunted by the lack of traffic we have had during the pandemic lockdown and economic slump. It’s important to note that the purpose of the automated speed enforcement program is work zone safety, not revenue generation.
Be of Good Cheer
— The Wolff
TRANSPORTATION ISSUE UPDATE
- Pennsylvanians are driving less because of the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s putting the brakes on some road construction projects.
- After three months of experience with automated speed enforcement in active work zones, PennDOT says 30,000 violations notices have been issued.
- It’s not a particularly long stretch of highway, but this I-95 project in northeast Philly will affect traffic flow in two phases during the next two years on one of the nation’s busiest transportation arteries.
- Good and bad news in the passenger rail world… First the good – beginning July 6, Amtrak is partially restoring full-length Keystone Service (New York – Philadelphia – Harrisburg) with one roundtrip between Harrisburg and New York in response to anticipated increased demand.
- And the bad news… New Jersey Transit recently issued a 10-year transportation plan that has no new dollars for extending service to enable Scranton-to-Hoboken service. The 21-mile stretch between Andover and Delaware Water Gap remains the missing link.
- And finally, PennDOT once again extending expiration dates on driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to expire from March 16 through July 31.