The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has requested emergency aid from the state Legislature to the tune of $600 million, citing depressed revenues due to COVID-19 as the primary driver of the shortfall.

Without the funding, hundreds of projects and thousands of jobs will be jeopardized.

Legislators have grumbled about the fact that PennDOT is coming hat-in-hand at such a late hour, but they’re signaling willingness to provide the cash.

This is unquestionably the right move.

It’s a loan, not a bailout, due to extraordinary, unforeseeable circumstances. Infrastructure projects and crew jobs should not be sacrificed unnecessarily — the state must act quickly to ensure that such operations aren’t halted.

This is a short-term stopgap, however. PennDOT is facing multibillion-dollar losses due to lost revenues, accelerated by the pandemic, and is exploring new financial possibilities.

The department has approached the federal government for advice on how to increase revenues. Tolling major bridges, rush-hour fees, tolls for extra lanes and potential tolling of interstate highways are all on the table, as such measures would place the brunt of the cost on people actually using the roads.

PennDOT is modeling its deliberations on other states’ funding strategies and will host a series of public meetings in 2021 to determine the best outcome. Pennsylvanians with stakes should plan to attend and voice their concerns. Transportation leaders have argued that charging a fee per miles driven would be the most equitable way to pass the cost to drivers, but they recognize that monitoring such information has an Orwellian flavor and that the technology simply isn’t there yet.

A gas tax is a far less invasive and easier means by which to charge those using the roads the most. However, as vehicles have become more fuel-efficient, the state’s gas tax revenues have dropped significantly. Additionally, the federal gas tax rate hasn’t been raised in 27 years, though Pennsylvania boasts the second-highest state gas tax in the country after California. This tax is assessed at the wholesale level, but the costs are of course passed on to consumers.

Pennsylvania’s state-maintained road and bridge systems are larger than the New England states combined. They are costly to maintain, and residents recognize this.

Legislators must approve short-term funding. But longer-term solutions must be carefully thought out.

— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)