Are our roads getting worse?

troubledwaters wrote:

gbopp wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:
450M is chump change and would build about 10-12 miles of new 4 lane highway if you were lucky on flat terrain with no bridges or interchanges.

I agree, 450 million will not go very far building roads. Repairing roads is a different story.
My point was, the PTC is required to generate 450 million for PennDot before it can do anything for the turnpike.
I also agree the PTC needs to be abolished.

WOW! That's one expensive highway, $10M per lane mile. What you using? Gold bricks?

I didn't know I was preparing a detailed estimate to be thrown in the mix at crunch/bid time, but had anticipated an RV net heavy/highway expert would be along soon enough to get me into the low bidder realm prior to it lol. So ok.....450M might get you 16-18 miles of 4 lane if the estimating dept is using Wikipedia as opposed to Heavybid or the like......but thats a big might, especially in PA.


@ geicher.......How can you justify the PTC spending multi millions of dollars installing those 20' high structural screen walls during the upgrade process to 6 lane? I am sure you have seen the amount of those between Irwin and New Stanton, or Butler Valley and Warrendale? I can understand where they're required for embankment stabilizing purposes, but to screen off homes and neighborhoods that came to be long after the pike is an absolute waste of money. That BS is coming from residents during the public comment phase of the design and permitting, and for those that choose to build a home next to an existing heavily traveled highway......live with your decision. Its also driven by the corruption that is the PTC or don't you buy into that it exists. Follow the money. The cost of those walls is astronomical, and would go a long way towards construction and maintenance costs on things that count, as well as maybe holding the line on tolls a little. By the way your $55 will be $119.45 by 2026 at the 9% annual increases coming along that have already been stated as gospel by the PTC. What happened to the original charter? The one that said the tolls were to be eliminated once the original pike paid for itself, which it did in the 1960's. I remember when I was discharged from the USAF in 1981, and drove through Kentucky on their parkway system where you stopped and tossed coins into baskets. At least KY kept their word, as those tolls were eliminated as soon as the bonds were paid off for the construction. Here in PA they decided to line their pockets with it and kick it back to their buddies who own construction and material companies, and the trade unions.