In a first-ever report, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation received high marks for 'safety' and 'accountability,' a middling grade in 'mobility,' and a poor assessment in terms of 'preservation and renewal.'
The message of the Transportation Performance Report was simple: PennDOT is doing well with the money it has, but it needs more resources in order to improve the quality of Pennsylvania's roads. The report was compiled by the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission, a group of citizens appointed by the governor to watch over PennDOT with input from state legislators and the Transportation Secretary.
PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar said he thinks the report shows that PennDOT simply needs more investment from the state government.
"Given the resources that we have, we've made a lot of progress," said Chizmar. "We'll continue to make progress in some areas, but there's certain areas where we simply can't do more given our limited resources."
Those areas where PennDOT is now "stagnated," according to Chizmar, include structurally deficient bridge repair and increasing mobility.
However, Chizmar said he's encouraged by the increase in transportation funding included in Governor Tom Corbett's budget proposal.
The full Transportation Performance Report can be viewed here.
