Pa. road repairs could be done sooner, with drivers’ money in mind

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Tolls on Interstate 80 or a long-term lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike may soon be pumping out billions of dollars to pay for stepped-up repairs on state roads and bridges.

But a new legislative study suggests there are other steps the state Department of Transportation can take to make its existing maintenance and operations more efficient.

The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report says it regularly takes too long for contracts to be awarded, companies that blow deadlines usually are not fined and the state can often pave highways more cheaply than private firms — and should think about doing more of it in-house.

The committee found that it takes an average of 324 days between the time a typical contract is advertised and when the deal is firmed up.

The lengthy lag time creates logistical problems for companies that deal with PennDOT and means motorists have to wait that much longer to reap the benefits that they’re paying for.

“It’s much too long a time to get a project designed and built,” says Brian McMearty, an engineer with Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, the firm that produced the study.