By Nicole Houck, Contributing Writer

Governor Corbett’s budget address had many citizens fired up about cuts to higher education, but he surprisingly did not mention transportation in his budget. Many thought transportation would be a key issue in his address due to the effects of severe lack of funds is having on state highways, bridges, and transit systems. In an exclusive interview with PoliticsPA, House Transportation Committee Chair Representative Rick Geist commented on the situation.

“Not one word was mentioned in his speech about [transportation funding], so it has to materialize and morph into something,” said Representative Rick Geist (R-Altoona), Transportation Committee Chair. “This is my 33rd budget. The budget that we currently have is just a starting point. The spend number will probably stay the same, and the budget will move around in an amoebic-like fashion.”

Corbett’s budget calls for $6.3 billion for transportation, which includes federal funding. While state transportation funding has actually increased, it is not enough to combat the effects of major federal funding cuts. The end of federal stimulus money combined with the shortfall  of funds the denial Act 44 (tolling I-80) will have a severe impact on the future of highways, bridges and transit systems in Pennsylvania.

“All the stimulus money has gone away, so the areas that had stimulus money are going to be hurting,” Geist said.

According to a report by the Tribune-Review, under the Corbett budget, the numbers fall as follows:

PennDOT will build 6 miles of highway in the coming year, down from 24 last year.

The number of miles of state highways and interstate roads to be repaired in the coming year falls from 375 miles to 196.

PennDOT will repair or replace 40 fewer bridges in the next year than last year. There are currently 340 bridges slated for improvements.

Currently in Pennsylvania, there are 5,646 structurally deficient state-owned bridges and around 7,000 miles of state-maintained roads in “very poor condition.”

Geist addressed conditions of bridges and highways saying, “They haven’t healed. If we don’t address and provide adequate funding, it’s going to get worse.”

Geist has been working on legislation to provide alternative funding to address the issue in the form of public-private partnerships. The House Transportation Committee approved House Bill 3 last week, which would allow for Pennsylvania to enter transportation based public-private partnerships.

“We took a major step toward enacting legislation that will give Pennsylvania an innovative funding alternative as we confront the formidable challenge of sufficiently funding our transportation infrastructure,” Geist said in a press release. “Public-private partnerships are by no means the only solution to what is a massive and immediate problem, but they are a critical tool to have at our disposal, and I’m pleased that our committee overwhelmingly concurred.”

“P3 projects have been successful around the nation and around the world, and I firmly believe they can be successful here in Pennsylvania,” said Geist. “The harsh reality is that Pennsylvania’s infrastructure needs far surpass the public sector’s ability to fund them. We have no choice but to explore other alternatives to bridging this funding gap.”

“I look forward to bringing House Bill 3 to the House floor for a full vote,” Geist said. “I see public-private partnerships as being a key component of the comprehensive funding plan that must be developed to rehabilitate our deteriorating infrastructure and provide a 21st century transportation system that can fully meet the needs of all Pennsylvanians. Our safety, our mobility and our economy is at stake.”