Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

Agency overview
Formed	1937
(etc.)
Jurisdiction	Government of Pennsylvania
Agency executive	Mark Compton, Chief Executive Officer
Website	www.paturnpike.com

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) was created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The commission consists of five members. Four members are appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania. The fifth member is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation.^[1]

In addition to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the commission also operates the James E. Ross Highway, Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, Mon/Fayette Expressway and Pittsburgh's Southern Beltway, the latter two of which are currently under construction.^[2]

The PTC is the only transportation agency in Pennsylvania that is not part of PennDOT, though it does follow current PennDOT policies and procedures. Mark Compton is the current CEO.

Legislation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly is currently pending that would fold the PTC into PennDOT, with PennDOT appointing a Deputy Secretary to run the toll roads in the state. Such a move would be done for efficiency and cost reasons, as well as to cut down on the government bureaucracy.^[3]

History

The PTC was established by law on May 21, 1937, when Pennsylvania Governor George Earle signed Act 9-11 into law. The first commissioners were named on June 4 of the same year.^[4]

On April 28, 2010, Governor Ed Rendell proposed that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission be merged into the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. A special session of the state legislature will vote on this issue on May 4.^[5] On August 26, 2010, PennDOT told the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission that they needed to pay them $118 million for public transit funding provided by Act 44 or PennDOT would have veto power over the Turnpike Commission's decisions.^[6]

Highways

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission finances, operates and maintains the following highways:

• The Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline across southern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstates 70, 76 and 276.
• The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension across eastern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 476.
• The James E. Ross Highway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 376.
• The Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 66.
• The Mon/Fayette Expressway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 43.
• The Southern Beltway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 576. At some point in the future, the bypass is expected to be signed as Interstate 576.
• The Keystone Shortway across northern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 80, has been leased to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Act 44 of 2007 for conversion to a future toll road.^[7][8] On September 11, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration rejected Pennsylvania's application to toll Interstate 80.^[9]

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Pennsylvania portal
• List of Pennsylvania state agencies
• Mitchell Rubin

References

1. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission". portal.state.pa.us. Archived from the original (DOC) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
2. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. "Turnpike Chronology". paturnpike.com. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
3. Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
4. Kitsko, Jeffrey J. "Pennsylvania Highways: Pennsylvania Turnpike". PAHighways.com. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
5. Bumsted, Brad (April 29, 2010). "Turnpike Commission, PennDOT merger eyed". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
6. "PennDOT to Turnpike: Pay $118 million or we're taking over". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 26, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
7. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "Act 44 of 2007 (history)". Retrieved 2007-08-18.
8. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "Act 44 of 2007". p6. 264, lines 28-29.
9. Federal Highway Administration press release, September 11, 2008 Archived September 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.