State, local officials laud reduction of bridges in poor condition

Standing in a salt storage facility on Neville Island Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and local officials touted the state’s investment in road and bridge improvements.

The location under the Neville Island Bridge was symbolic because crews earlier this year put the final touches on $43 million worth of improvements to the structure, a key north-south connector on Interstate 79. That bridge received major improvements over three years to prevent its condition from deteriorating to poor, but state and local jurisdictions last year replaced or improved more than 200 poor bridges, the highest number in the country.

At the news conference, Shapiro reiterated the state’s commitment to improve the condition of its road infrastructure. He ticked off a number of steps: removing state police funding from the Motor License Fund to increase road spending by more than $200 million a year; providing $51 million in multimodal funds this year alone for 66 projects in local communities; increasing road paving by 500 miles this year; and winning discretionary federal funds under the Biden infrastructure program, including $500 million to replace the South Bridge on Interstate 83 near Harrisburg.

Shapiro and Matt Smith, chief growth officer for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, stressed the important role roads and bridges play in drawing economic development to the region. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said the county has done its part, reducing poor bridges from 65 in 2014 to 18 today.

State-owned bridges in poor condition have dropped from more than 6,000 in 2008 to 2,198. Another 1,571 owned by counties and municipalities are rated in poor condition, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Those numbers can be a little misleading because the state is a national leader in the number of bridges and regularly ranks in the bottom five for the most bridges rated in poor condition. Additionally, upgrading 200 bridges in 2023 was tempered by an additional 110 others being downgraded to poor condition, reducing the net improvement to 90 bridges.

“We’re proud of that number,” Mike Carroll, state transportation secretary, said in an interview after the event. “We’re going to continue to attack that area.”

Although the state is doing its part, Shapiro and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, called for the federal government to extend the infrastructure bill beyond Biden’s initial five-year program. Deluzio, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, said the program has “juiced our economy.”

“Federal funding has to be invested,” he said. “These investments are working. These investments are helping people.”

In a related area, Shapiro said in an interview after the event that he’s disappointed the state Senate hasn’t taken final action on a bill to provide dedicated funding for mass transit. Shapiro and legislative leaders passed the budget in July with a commitment to address transit funding this fall, but so far the Senate hasn’t scheduled a vote on a bill passed by the House.

Shapiro said he believes that state has enough money in surplus funds and the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Trust Fund to dedicate more funds to transit, but with 87% of that money earmarked for the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas, rural senators also want additional money for local road and bridge projects.

Asked whether a bill can be passed with limited voting days left this year, Shapiro said, “Ask [Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman]. I can’t pass the bills AND sign them.”