THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY HUTCHINSON, SCAVELLO, GABLER, BROOKS, CAUSER, COX, CUTLER, EVERETT, KAUFFMAN, LONGIETTI, MASSER, METCALFE, MILLARD, OBERLANDER, RAPP, ROAE, SONNEY, STEVENSON AND SWANGER, MARCH 17, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, MARCH 17, 2011  

AN ACT

Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes, repealing provisions relating to conversion of

Interstate 80; and further providing for application to

United States Department of Transportation.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 8915.1 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is repealed:

[§ 8915.1.  Conversion of Interstate 80.

In order to facilitate vehicular traffic across this

Commonwealth, the commission is authorized and empowered to do

all of the following:

(1)  Convert Interstate 80 to a toll road and maintain

and operate it as a toll road.

(2)  Construct, reconstruct, widen, expand, extend,

maintain and operate Interstate 80 from a point at or near

the Ohio border to a point at or near the New Jersey border,

together with connecting roads, interchanges, slip ramps,

tunnels and bridges.

(3)  Issue turnpike revenue bonds, notes or other

obligations, payable solely from revenues of the commission,

including tolls, or from funds as may be available to the

commission for that purpose, to pay the cost of constructing,

reconstructing, widening, expanding or extending Interstate

80 or any other costs of Interstate 80 and the Pennsylvania

Turnpike.

(4)  Provide quarterly reports and periodic updates

regarding significant developments with respect to the

conversion of Interstate 80 to the chairman and minority

chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Senate and

the chairman and minority chairman of the Transportation

Committee of the House of Representatives. These reports

shall include, at a minimum, the status of outstanding

discussions with the United States Department of

Transportation regarding Interstate 80, the location and

construction of tolling-related equipment for Interstate 80,

planned capital improvements for Interstate 80 and other

information important to implementation of this section.]

Section 2.  Section 8915.2 of Title 75 is amended to read:

§ 8915.2.  Application to United States Department of

Transportation.

(a)  Application.--The commission[, in consultation with the

department and at its own expense, is authorized to prepare and

submit an application to the United States Department of

Transportation for the conversion of Interstate 80 to a toll

road. The secretary shall ensure that all information required

for the application is made available to the commission as soon

as practicable after the effective date of this section] may not

reapply for Federal authorization to toll Interstate 80.

[(b)  Open system.--A toll system shall consist of what is

commonly referred to as an open system with no more than ten

toll collection points.

(c)  Other agreements.--The commission and the department may

enter into any other agreements as may be necessary to

effectuate the execution of the application filed under this

section.]

Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.