PennDOT Quizzes Drivers On How They Prefer To Provide More Funds

PENNSYLVANIA — PennDOT's annual highway and bridge budget is $6.9 billion, but the agency claims that's not nearly enough to maintain them. So PennDOT is seeking motorists' thoughts on how they would prefer to give the agency more money.

PennDOT has an online survey on its website asking people to help the department "identify alternative funding sources" that all involve drivers paying more to use state roads and bridges. PennDOT claims it needs $15 billion a year to properly maintain them.

Among the survey options:

• Spot Tolling: collects fees from drivers passing through a specific location, typically at a bridge or tunnel. PennDOT already has spot tolls on a number of bridges in Pennsylvania.
• Managed Lanes: Involves additional lanes on a highway where the traffic is managed for faster travel. With managed lanes, traffic can be regulated by charging a toll, or by encouraging carpooling. It offers a choice to drivers — to pay a fee, carpool or use the regular lanes.
• Congestion Pricing: Another form of tolling in which users are charged based on the congestion on the roadway — encouraging users to carpool or use alternative routes when traffic gets too heavy — creating a reliable speed and trip.
• Corridor Tolling: Similar to what is done on the Pennsylvania Turnpike; tolls would be charged along interstates and expressways based on the distance traveled along that road.
• Road Use Charges: These would be generally tied to GPS technologies to calculate the number of miles a motorist drives. Essentially, drivers would be charged a small fee for each mile they drive during the year.

Fee and Tax Increases: This would include increasing vehicle-related fees and-or increasing various taxes with the exception of the gas tax.

You can share your thoughts by visiting the PennDOT website. The agency is taking public input through Dec. 17.