For years, state lawmakers sought innovative ways to fund mounting transportation needs — road, bridge, and transit projects — without raising the already-hefty PA fuel tax. In 2007, these discussions led to passage of Act 44, which called for the state to seek permission to toll Interstate 80 from the federal government. After years of study, planning, and outreach, the Federal Highway Administration rejected Pennsylvania’s tolling application. Even so, the Turnpike’s Act-44 requirement didn’t completely disappear.