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Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

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Formed
  
1937

Founded
  
1937

Website
  
www.paturnpike.com

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

Jurisdiction
  
Government of Pennsylvania

Agency executive
  
Mark Compton, Chief Executive Officer

Headquarters
  
Pennsylvania, United States

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.

Contents

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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. On September 11, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration rejected Pennsylvania's application to toll Interstate 80.

    • References

    Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA