2/19/08-Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, said he plans to introduce a resolution that would request the Pennsylvania auditor general to conduct a performance audit of the Turnpike Commission.
Conklin is taking action in response to the transportation funding bill, also known as Act 44, signed into law last summer. It gives the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission more power, including the authority to toll Interstate 80.
Conklin wants to make sure that additional power does not go unchecked.
“Act 44 gave the Turnpike Commission the authority to maintain highways, roads and bridges in all regions of Pennsylvania, and it is important that they have the resources and ability to carry through with these added responsibilities,” Conklin said in a prepared statement.
“This audit, which I believe should be conducted within the next six months, is necessary so that an undue burden is not placed on the taxpayers of this Commonwealth.”
The Turnpike Commission is a quasi-government entity created in 1937 to oversee the nation’s first modern toll road. The commission currently oversees 514 miles of roadway that handle 156 million vehicle trips per year.
The state Senate oversees the commission and appoints those in charge.