The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Tuesday the distribution of $487.5 million in liquid fuels payments to aid certified municipalities in road and bridge maintenance, such as snow removal and road repaving.
Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said that such investments help keep Pennsylvania communities safe and connected, acknowledging that the Commonwealth currently houses the fifth-largest state-maintained road system in the country.
Of the 120,596 miles of public roads in Pennsylvania, 73, 037 miles are owned by municipalities and are eligible for liquid fuels. Eligibility is based on if a roadway is formally adopted as a public street by the municipality, meets certain dimension requirements, and can safely accommodate vehicles driving at least 15 mph. Municipalities are then awarded liquid fuels funding based on population and miles of locally-owned roads.
“This funding is an important annual investment in our communities and into our local transportation infrastructure. Significant increases in this funding to local communities were made possible by Act 89 of 2013, which I was proud to support,” State Sen. John Blake (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Monroe) said.
Lackawanna County is set to receive $7.48 million that will be divided among its 40 municipalities. Blake noted that 20 percent of the funding allotted to the municipalities could be used to purchase new equipment for maintenance as well as road and bridge upkeep.
“The maintenance and upkeep of our roads and bridges is critical to the safety of our residents. Additionally, the City of Scranton, for the first time in years, got a positive bond rating involving the securitization of these increased liquid fuels dollars – and that was an important milestone in the City’s financial recovery.”