PennDOT audit finds $4.2B diverted from transportation infrastructure

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale recently completed an audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and discovered more than $4.25 billion had been transferred from the Motor License Fund to the state police since the fiscal years 2012-13.

“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.”

The Motor License Fund is to be used for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and repair of public highways and bridges, according to the state constitution.

The General Assembly has not set a cap on the amount of money going to state police from the Motor License Fund.

The state police received $789.6 million from the fund in the 2017-18 fiscal year.

In Pennsylvania, 57.6 cents of state tax is added to every gallon of gas, adding $5.76 to the cost of every 10 gallons.

Pennsylvanians are frustrated paying the highest gasoline tax in the country, yet bridges and roads are not being repaired, DePasquale said.