Harrisburg to take up transportation funding issue

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Ed Rendell wants a special legislative session on Pennsylvania’s transportation funding problems to begin next week.

Rendell’s office says the governor is to address a joint session of the House and Senate later today after each chamber approves a resolution.

Rendell’s call for the session is being prompted by the federal government’s recent rejection of Pennsylvania’s application to turn Interstate 80 into a toll highway.

The rejection eliminated a key source of money to help address a backlog of highway, bridge and mass transit projects across the state.

The Department of Transportation says the $472 million expected from the tolls next year would have been part of $2.9 billion in highway and bridge improvements and $1.6 billion in state and federal support for mass transit.