State auditor releases results of PA Turnpike Commission audit

State Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor on Sept. 7 released a performance audit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission that made a number of recommendations to help solve the commission’s growing financial woes.

“Today, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has more debt than the entire state government of Pennsylvania, and the only way to pay it is to raise tolls,” DeFoor said. “This is an unsustainable situation which highlights the need for innovative ideas and different solutions to rectify an issue that is decades in the making.”

The audit covers June 1, 2018, through June 13, 2022, and includes three findings and 23 recommendations for improvements.

The commission faces difficulty raising enough toll revenue to make projected debt payments to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). In one finding, the audit said the commission’s ability to make payments will depend on usage, continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, incurring less debt and minimizing expenses.

Auditors made two recommendations for the General Assembly focused on reducing operating costs, addressing debt and taking the financial burden of annual toll increases off travelers.

“We need to work at finding a solution that will make sure the Turnpike continues to provide an invaluable service to all who travel through Pennsylvania, without it being a financial burden,” DeFoor said. “We recommend the General Assembly take another look at Acts 44 and 89 and consider drafting new legislation to mitigate the current debt burden placed on the Commission.”

Nearly a quarter of the commission’s $104.9 million in uncollected tolls resulted from unidentified license plates, unpaid invoices, or because PennDOT either had the wrong address for drivers or no address.

Auditors made 11 recommendations to improve collections.

Anti-discrimination language in the commission’s contracts is outdated and lacks content. Auditors made five recommendations to correct this.

The commission agreed with the first two findings but disagreed with recommendations related to amending contract language. It agreed on posting customer complaint signage and establishing policies or procedures to monitor lessees’ compliance.

The Department of the Auditor General is legally mandated to audit the commission every four years.