KITCHEN URGES LASTING SOLUTION TO MASS TRANSIT CRISIS

            HARRISBURG, June 19 - State Sen. Shirley Kitchen said she will continue to urge the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to work toward a long-term solution to Pennsylvania’s mass transit and highway and bridge system crises.

            “These transportation woes have gone on far too long. The state needs a reliable and continuing source of funding,” Kitchen said following a Senate Policy Committee public hearing today in Harrisburg.

            The hearing examined proposals aimed at generating a dependable funding source to help repair the state’s deteriorating highway and bridge system and also address the solvency of mass transit.

            “Today’s public hearing opened a dialogue, but Pennsylvanians deserve more than talk,” said Kitchen. “They demand a solution. Too many people in Philadelphia — and throughout the state — rely on public transportation to get them to work, school, doctor’s appointments and more.

            “I will continue to do my part to find lasting solutions and solid funding for mass transit and our deteriorating highways and bridges,” she said.

            In an attempt to help fund Pennsylvania’s current and future transportation needs, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission offered a proposal that would float a $4 billion bond over 25 years, begin tolling Interstate 80 in three years, and enter into a lease payment agreement with PennDOT.