By SARA FURLONG

s.furlong@bradfordera.com

McKean County is due to receive more than $2 million in liquid fuels payments for its municipalities to maintain roads

and bridges. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Thursday announced the annual distributions, totaling $468 million statewide in 2025. Funds, which are available to municipalities that submit annual reports in compliance with the act, are generated by the state gas tax and assist municipalities with highway- and bridge-related expenses like repaving and winter maintenance.

There are approximately 422 miles of municipal roads in McKean County, and each township, borough or city’s allocation is based on population and approved miles of road in the liquid fuels inventory.

To be eligible, roadways must be formally adopted as a public street, meet certain dimension requirements and be able to safely accommodate vehicles driving at least 15 mph.

McKean County’s allocations total $2,048,516.84, an increase of nearly $30,000 from last year’s distributions.

Bradford City, based again this year on a population of 7,849 and 30.68 miles, is due to receive $235,093.12. The amount is an increase of nearly $3,000 from 2024.

At 4,793 residents and 34.41 miles, Bradford Township will see $192,934.02 — also nearly $3,000 more than last year.

Foster Township is due to receive $172,586.51 based on 4,038 residents and 32.18 miles, an increase of $4,000. Lewis Run Borough will receive about $1,000 more this year, with a total of $20,448.02. Its figure is based on a population of 583 and 3.12 miles of roadway.

For the complete list of municipal liquid fuels payments, visit PennDOT’s Municipal Liquid Fuels Program page. McKean County’s distributions are found on page 76 of the 121-page MLF report for 2025.

Some municipalities enter into agreements with PennDOT to have the department conduct required bridge inspections for them, according to PennDOT officials. Each municipality’s share of those agreements is deducted from the gross allocation to arrive at the net allocation, which are the numbers included here.

Further, municipalities may use 20% of their net annual distribution to purchase major equipment. That percentage is a portion of the allocation, not an additional payment.

‘With township and local governments responsible for two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s road miles, we recognize the critical role of liquid fuels funding in maintaining our roadways,’ said PSATS Executive Director David Sanko. ‘However, as vehicles are more fuel-efficient, these funds are diminishing, so we are optimistic for the EV fee implementation to be successful and the additional

Gas… page A-8 revenue they will bring to our local governments.

“We appreciate PennDOT’s recognition of local governments as essential partners in the commonwealth’s transportation network and look forward to continuing our collaboration with PennDOT and the General Assembly to find innovative solutions, ensuring our roads remain smooth, safe and ready for future journeys,” he added.

There are nearly 121,000 miles of public roads in Pennsylvania. More than 2,500 municipalities manage approximately 78,000 miles of roadway and more than 6,600 bridges.

PSAB Executive Director Chris Cap said, “The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs commends the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for recognizing borough governments as important participants in the statewide transportation network. These liquid fuels allocations are an essential funding component for preserving this vast network of locally maintained roads, which are so vital to the continued economic viability of this commonwealth.”