Gov. Tom Wolf announced this week a campaign launched by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to accelerate repaving work on interstates and refill potholes across the commonwealth as part of the new Resurface PA initiative.
“PennDOT has been at work on this problem for many months, but the severe temperature swings through the winter have created ideal conditions for continued pavement challenges,” Wolf said. “We are further increasing our focus on pothole repairs and also accelerating much-needed work on our interstates.”
The work will be financed largely by savings from other projects since Wolf took office.
PennDOT has prioritized $22.3 million for immediate pothole repairs through June 30, which will supply nearly 30,000 tons of patching material. An additional $7 million will be invested in seven interstate maintenance projects covering potholes and other repairs on 78 miles of roads this year.
The Resurface PA funding is the fourth major new investment addressing issues Pennsylvania is facing following a particularly long winter. The other investments include $30 million in transportation infrastructure funding for interstate improvements, $60 million in PennDOT investments from interstate-project bid savings being reinvested in resurfacing, $62 million in additional funding for interstate preservation projects.
The new investments will make 17 interstate paving and preservation projects covering 255 miles happen at least two years earlier than expected with projects beginning this year and next year.
“We have improved thousands of miles of roadway in the past three years and we continue to battle potholes across the state each year,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. “These investments will address much-needed repairs and preserve several stretches of interstate.”
PennDOT crews used nearly 23,000 tons of asphalt repairing potholes statewide through the end of April. By the same time in 2017, PennDOT had only used 15,418 tons of asphalt and only 14,673 tons in 2016. PennDOT has already spent more than $17 million on statewide pothole repairs this year.
PennDOT crews are currently working to repair pothole damage on nearly 40,000 miles of state-owned roadway.