AASHTO Journal - PennDOT Issues $460M for Local Road, Bridge Projects

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently issued more than $460 million to help municipalities fund local road and bridge projects. That funding, which comes from state gas tax revenues, helps municipalities pay for a range of critical maintenance services, such as snow removal and road repaving projects.

[Above photo by PennDOT]

The formula used to allocate that funding is based on population and miles of locally owned roads, PennDOT noted. To be eligible, a roadway must be formally adopted as a public street by the municipality, meet certain dimension requirements, and be able to safely accommodate vehicles driving at least 15 miles per hour, the agency said.

Overall, Pennsylvania is home to nearly 121,000 miles of public roads, with 2,500 municipalities managing 78,000 miles of that overall road network as well as more than 6,600 bridges. Since 2023, nearly $1.87 billion in liquid fuels tax money has been funneled to road and bridge projects, PennDOT noted, improving 19,525 miles of roadway and 1,757 state and local bridges.

“Each of the Commonwealth’s 2,500 municipalities has their own unique needs and challenges,” explained Mike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement. “Governor [Josh] Shapiro’s commitment to keeping Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges safe and accessible is showing up where we need it most: in our communities, where local officials can direct the funding for transportation needs.”

“As the transportation landscape rapidly evolves, with electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and new technologies reshaping how we travel, the traditional revenue streams that support local infrastructure are not keeping pace,” added David Sanko, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.

“We appreciate PennDOT’s ongoing partnership and the General Assembly’s willingness to explore sustainable, long-term funding solutions,” he said. “Together, we can ensure that Pennsylvania’s local roads remain strong and ready for the future.”

“The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) commends PennDOT for recognizing borough governments as important partners of the statewide transportation network. These liquid fuels allocations are an essential funding component for preserving this vast network of locally maintained roads, which are so vital to the continued economic viability of this Commonwealth,” noted Chris Cap, PSAB’s executive director. “Borough communities across Pennsylvania will continue to maintain our portion of the local transportation network and we highly value our exceptional partnership with PennDOT.”