Project Overview

Like most of our National Interstate System, the majority of Interstate 80 (I-80) is reaching its life expectancy and must be rebuilt. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has done a remarkable job with the resources they were given, but the roadway, the interchanges and the bridges that make up I-80 continue to deteriorate. Thorough engineering reviews prepared by Pennsylvania Department of TransportationPennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC ) make it clear: without a substantial and sustained Capital Improvement Plan, I-80 will continue to decline and will no longer be a viable or safe highway.

The purpose of the I-80 Toll Conversion Project is to provide the necessary additional funding to reconstruct and rehabilitate the aging interstate. Over the next 10 years, the Pennsylvania Turnpike CommissionPTC will invest approximately $2.5 billion in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of:

• Roadways,
• Bridges,
• Interchanges, and
• Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Another $1 billion will be used for:

• Ongoing Resurfacing,
• Asset Management, and
• Operating and Maintenance Costs.

That is nearly four times more than PennDOT has historically invested in I-80.

The concept of tolling I-80 was included in Pennsylvania Act 44 of 2007 as part of an inflation-sensitive solution to bridge Pennsylvania’s transportation funding gap over the next 50 years. A A public/public partnership is defined as a partnership between two public agencies to bring about more effective and efficient delivery, with neither party seeking financial profit. The benefit of Act 44 lies in using the Turnpike, a public agency, to raise the funds. They can borrow money at tax exempt rates with municipal bonds, rather than much more costly taxable debt and equity used by private entities. The lower borrowing costs and non-profit status ensures that more money will be available for transportation purposes. Public/Public Partnership between PennDOT and the PTC authorizes them to seek authority from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to toll I-80.

Application Process
Project Timeline
Environmental Factors
Economic Study