The law is expected to raise another $2.3 billion a year from higher gas taxes and motorist fees.
Officials with the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study said last week they will take part in a session with state officials in the coming weeks to learn the ins and outs of the massive new transportation act.
The law, which was formally approved Monday by Gov. Tom Corbett in a series of ceremonies across the state, is expected to raise another $2.3 billion a year from higher gas taxes and motorist fees.
Becky Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, said staff members will participate in information sessions reviewing the finer points of the law and determine what local projects may be funded by it. She hoped to share that data publicly at the transportation committee's technical meeting in December.The Corbett administration has pushed for widening a section of Route 22 in Allentown. Back in June, Transportation Secretary Barry J. Schoch visited Whitehall Township and said converting the highway to six lanes was "very likely."
Other major projects include rehabbing part of Route 219 near Johnstown; expanding Interstate 81 in suburban Harrisburg; resurfacing 10 miles of Route 22 in between Harrisburg and State College; upgrading Interchange Road in suburban Erie; and extending Route 424 to connect Interstate 81 to Humboldt Industrial Park near Hazleton.
PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said each project is not necessarily pegged to a timetable, but the agency hopes to move quickly on some of the most expensive projects because the sooner the work begins, the cheaper it will be.
One of the first things the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will do is replace timbers that are more than 25 years old on three bridges on the commuter rail line to Media in Delaware County, said the agency’s general manager, Joe Casey. It also will replace a fourth bridge, built in 1894, on the line near Swarthmore College, Casey said.
Ridership is rising on the line, which is in the worst condition of SEPTA’s suburban commuter lines, Casey said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.