Overview
The
Pennsylvania Turnpike is a major public asset worth billions of
dollars, and its day-to-day operation directly impacts the lives of
thousands of Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania
businesses rely on the Turnpike to deliver goods to their doors,
commuters use it to get to work, and students rely on it to get to and
from school. The Turnpike’s operation also affects the thousands of
home owners who live nearby. This can take the form of the impact noise
and car emissions can have on the surrounding environment, changes in
the traffic flow on local roads, billboard placement, or a myriad of
other ways local communities can be affected.
Gov.
Rendell has raised the possibility of leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike
to a private entity, and the General Assembly could vote on enabling
legislation as early as April. Any proposal to lease the Pennsylvania
Turnpike should be carefully scrutinized to ensure that Pennsylvania’s
long-term public interests are met. It is critically important that any
potential plan maximizes the full range of the Turnpike’s public
benefits over the life of the lease. Focusing solely on the
Commonwealth’s short term cash flow problems could significantly impair
Pennsylvanian’s long term financial health, and negatively impact our
transportation policy for decades to come. The Turnpike is more than
just a source of revenue; it is a vital component of our public
infrastructure, and its operation is a keystone of Pennsylvania transportation policy.
