HARRISBURG, Pa. (WJAC) — A state audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has found that billions of dollars have been diverted over the years that could have been spent repairing roads and bridges.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced the findings of his new audit Thursday, saying that PennDOT could be further along in repairing rough highways and fixing 2,829 structurally deficient bridges had it not been forced to pay state police.
DePasquale said that the transfers from the Motor License Fund to state police totaled more than $4.2 billion since the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
“More than 2,800 state-maintained bridges across Pennsylvania are structurally deficient and our bridges average over 50 years in age – beyond what they were designed to last,” DePasquale said. “That $4.25 billion could have cut that list in half and if PennDOT could use all of the gas tax money for roads and bridges we could get that number to zero in about five years.”
DePasquale says that under the state constitution, proceeds from the Motor License Fund are only supposed to be used for the construction, repair, maintenance and safety of public highways and bridges.
DePasqaule noted Pennsylvania’s gas tax saying, “There’s a whopping 57.6 cents of state tax added to each gallon of gas sold in Pennsylvania." He noted that adds $5.76 to the cost of every 10 gallons of gas put in the tank. “Pennsylvanians are frustrated that our roads and bridges still need so much help at the same time we are paying the highest gas tax in the United States," DePasquale said.
In the 2017-2018 fiscal year, DePasquale says $789,580,000 was allocated to state police.
“The nearly $800 million that came out of the fund in one year could have helped PennDOT make a significant dent in the list of urgent needs across Pennsylvania,” he added. “While state police certainly deserve to be adequately funded, I don’t think anyone is thrilled about seeing gas tax revenues being siphoned off for purposes other than improving our roads and bridges.”
You can read the full release here.
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