Texas governor says Rendell's transportation proposal has merit

April 29, 2007

By Jim Ritchie, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

The transportation issues facing Texas Gov. Rick Perry earlier this decade were so severe that it was faster to take back roads from San Antonio to Dallas than Interstate 35.

That's akin to taking Route 60 to Pittsburgh International Airport from Downtown to avoid the Parkway West.

Perry pushed through a package of highway construction projects driven by public-private partnerships, similar to the long-term lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike sought by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Texas' decision to turn to private companies to build and maintain 4,000 miles of highways in key corridors was in response to a business and population boom. Highways were clogged and air pollution worsened.

"Doing nothing was not an alternative," said Perry, who spoke last week with the Tribune-Review.

Perry's Trans Texas Corridor project would cost between $145 billion and $183 billion over 50 years. In return, private companies that built the roads would keep toll money.

The average Texas toll is about 13 cents a mile. Pennsylvania Turnpike motorists pay about 6.4 cents a mile.

Rendell continues to push his plan to tax oil company profits and lease the turnpike, but key lawmakers say the proposal is lifeless. Most have concerns about the oil tax.

"I have been advised by people who really know that it may not be constitutional," said state Sen. Barry Stout, of Bentleyville, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. "If Rendell gets this thing through it would be tied up in court for years, maybe decades."

Perry likes Rendell's turnpike plan, as long as revenue is directed only to transportation projects.

"If Pennsylvania needs new infrastructure, new lane miles, and if all the money stays in the world of Pennsylvania transportation, then that's worth having," he said.

Most lawmakers say they're waiting for details and a reliable assessment of the highway's value.

"If it's an open and fair process, and it's businesslike, then let's see what it's worth," said state Rep. Rick Geist, R-Altoona, minority chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

Revenue estimates ranged from $3 billion to $30 billion. Rendell has hired a Wall Street firm to assess the highway system's value.

PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said talk that Rendell's proposal is dead is speculation.

"The run-up to any tough budget decision usually features a lot of speculation about what is dead or not," he said. "The governor has said over and over that if the Legislature wants to take a different approach, he will consider options.

"But at this point, he believes his proposal is the best way to approach the pressing question about how Pennsylvania is to pay for critical needs for highways, bridges and transit."

Convincing taxpayers of the benefits of a turnpike lease might be difficult, Perry said. His decision was easier, especially because of the potential for aiding development.

"We're trying to drive economic development, and one of the big things with economic development is having a transportation infrastructure that works," he said.