According to data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Pennsylvania led the nation in repaired bridges in 2023. 

Last year, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) repaired over 200 bridges and reduced the number of poor-condition bridges by 90. This is the largest improvement of any U.S. state. Despite the significant number of repairs, all of these projects were funded without tolling. 

The Shapiro Administration says they are continuing to concentrate on infrastructure in 2024, having advanced projects to repair over 300 state and locally owned bridges so far this year.

In 2008, more than 6,000 state-owned bridges in Pennsylvania were classified as being in poor condition. According to PennDOT, since then, over 3,000 of those bridges have been repaired or replaced. The agency says the pace of these improvements has accelerated due to additional infrastructure funding secured by Governor Shapiro in his first two budgets. 

In 2024 alone, PennDOT has enhanced over 3,100 miles of roadway, including 1,100 miles of paving, and advanced projects to repair or replace 303 state and locally owned bridges in an effort to reinforce the Commonwealth’s infrastructure.

The Shapiro Administration recently used $51 million from the Multimodal Transportation Fund to support 66 transportation projects across the state. According to PennDOT, these funds will be used to improve highways, bridges, ports, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure. Additionally, the bipartisan budget for 2024-25 includes $80.5 million in new funding to maintain roads and bridges. The budget also reduces the reliance of the Pennsylvania State Police on the Motor License Fund (MLF), a change which PMTA has advocated for. The reduction in MLF funds diverted to the PA State Police creates an additional $125 million annually for transport projects over the next four years.

Governor Shapiro secured Pennsylvania’s largest federal transportation grant to date for the replacement of the I-83 South Bridge in Harrisburg. This $500 million grant, awarded through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) competitive Bridge Investment Program, will fund the critical project to replace the bridge that links downtown Harrisburg in Dauphin County to Cumberland County. This is a significant win for PMTA, which issued a letter to the USDOT urging the agency to approve the aforementioned grant. PennDOT’s successful application for the South Bridge grant is one of many that PMTA has supported.

Despite trucks representing just 10% of vehicle miles driven in Pennsylvania, the trucking industry paid 34% of all taxes owed by Pennsylvania motorists. With this in mind, PMTA will continue to advocate for adequate funding towards the state’s infrastructure.