Aug. 11, 2025
HARRISBURG – More than 2,600 Pennsylvania bridges are either closed, weight restricted or labeled “in poor condition.” A legislative solution offered by Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin), Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee, would address their status in a different and more fiscally responsible manner compared to two pieces of legislation the House has already passed.
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House bills 1364 and
1788, which each advanced to the Senate following a predominantly party-line vote, address both transportation funding and support for mass transit,” said Benninghoff. “I’m working on a legislative fix that separates the two issues and speaks to one of the problems rather than rolling them into one measure.”
Benninghoff’s proposal would move $500 million over each of the next five fiscal years from the Rainy Day Fund to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and dedicate it to repairing the Commonwealth’s structurally compromised bridges. PennDOT would also be allowed to use a portion of this revenue for highway projects.
“For a bill to become law, it needs a minimum of 102 votes in the House, 26 votes in the Senate and the signature of the governor,” Benninghoff commented. “We need to find an alternative to these pieces of legislation, which do not have the necessary level of support in the Senate.”
“Mass transit is a statewide issue, but House bills 1364 and 1788 treat rural and suburban Pennsylvanians disproportionately compared to their urban counterparts, which is the basis for opposition to it,” he added. “My proposal aims to repair all bridges, regardless of their location, and can serve as part of the solution to the state budget impasse.”
Benninghoff also cites safety and health concerns as a reason for needing a solution as soon as possible.
“When an emergency responder is called to the scene of an incident, they answer the request by taking the most direct and fastest route,” Benninghoff said. “A bridge which is unavailable to them on that route then requires use of a detour, which impacts the response time and can seriously…maybe even fatally…impact the parties involved in the emergency.
“In too many cases, we are preventing our firefighters, EMTs and members of law enforcement from effectively doing their jobs and that problem is only going to get worse as time goes by and our bridges and roads continue to deteriorate.”
Benninghoff’s plan also addresses our infrastructure needs in a more immediate manner.
“Both bills call for bonding of taxpayer dollars, which would require repayment with significant interest over the next 20 to 30 years,” Benninghoff said. “I’m offering a more fiscally responsible solution that doesn’t ask future generations to pay for problems their predecessors failed to address.”
Representative Kerry Benninghoff
171st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717-260-6137
Slittle@pahousegop.com
KerryBenninghoff.com / Facebook.com/RepBenninghoff