Study finds hundreds of miles of area roads in 鈥榩oor鈥� condition
A recent study published by a nonprofit offered a look into the conditions of the roadways throughout Pennsylvania, and suggests that hundreds of miles of local roads in the southwestern counties are in “poor” condition.
TRIP issued its report on Pennsylvania roads and bridges at the end of June. According to its website, TRIP is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that is sponsored by insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, businesses involved in highway and transit engineering and construction, and labor unions.
According to TRIP, 32% of Washington County roads are rated as being in “poor” condition. For Greene County, that number is 50%, and in Fayette County, it is 34%.
The study clarifies that the numbers are based on data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for state-maintained roads that are not part of the national highway system.
When reached for a response to TRIP’s study, PennDOT sent a statement defending the efforts of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration in providing $380 million for infrastructure.
“That state funding has been used to draw down matching federal funds, increasing our impact even more. As a result, the Shapiro Administration has improved nearly 13,000 miles of roadway, including over 4,700 miles of paving: nearly 900 more miles of roadway improved and over 800 more miles paved than the previous two years,” the statement reads.
Corbly Orndorff, the chair of the board of supervisors in Franklin Township, Greene County, notes that PennDOT is ultimately responsible for the maintenance of the interstate highways.
“I hesitate to be overly critical of PennDOT’s maintenance,” Orndorff said. “Their first priority is I-79. That takes a lot of time and manpower and budget resources.”
Though roads maintained at the municipal level do not factor into TRIP’s report, Orndorff said he understands how certain roadways will take priority over others when it comes to allocating resources.
According to Orndorff, Franklin Township manages 68 miles of road.
“It’s a challenge to balance how much you spend on a road versus the amount of traffic it gets and the residents it services,” Orndorff said.
Locally, he pointed to how Murtha Drive and Elm Drive receive more attention than Independent Road.
“It is not what Murtha Drive is, nor should it be for the amount of traffic volume,” Orndorff said.
In its study, TRIP pointed to a lack of funding being a factor in the conditions of Pennsylvania’s roads, but notes that federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act recently allowed for improvements across the state.
“At the same time, gas-tax revenues continue decreasing as vehicles become more efficient and more people choose to drive electric vehicles. As a result, over the next decade, state-owned pavement conditions will decline on all roads, and state-owned bridge conditions will decline, especially local bridges,” the study reads.
Jason Scott, a supervisor in Fayette County’s South Union Township, said one of the “biggest gripes” he has is in how the state allocates funding for road improvements.
Money for these projects comes primarily from the state’s liquid fuels tax. According to Scott, the funds are dispersed in a way that makes no sense for the needs of their roads.
“We have Matthew Drive, which is a five-lane road, and we get paid the same for the road as a side street,” Scott said.
Matthew Drive runs across Route 21 and Route 40. Scott says it has long needed resurfaced, and that will soon happen thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The township’s match will be about $250,000.
“It’s definitely a win for us, that’s for sure,” Scott said.
However, Scott said it is ultimately up to lawmakers in Harrisburg to make changes to how roadway improvements are funded.
“It needs fixed on the legislative level. As much as we pay in gas tax and tools on our roads, we shouldn’t have the conditions that we have,” Scott said. “More of the money needs to be going toward repairing these roads and not administrative services.”