‘So far behind’: Biden’s plan unlikely to be enough for Berks, planner says

Whatever amount of money Berks County might receive from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, the county’s transportation planner says it won’t be sufficient to repair all the bridges and roads that need it.

“I guarantee you it would not be enough to resolve all of our problems,” Alan D. Piper said. “We are so far behind. The bottom line is, there is a gap between the money available and the money needed to fix things properly.”

Biden on March 31 proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes $115 billion to repair bridges, highways and roads.

The American Jobs Plan has yet to be approved by Congress. The separate $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has gone into law.

PennDOT has not been notified how much could be coming to Pennsylvania under Biden’s proposal.

Piper has been tasked during the last few years with scaling back muchneeded upgrades on Routes 422, 222 and 61 to make ends meet after PennDOT reallocated funds from the state highways to interstates, including I-78 in Berks, even before the pandemic reduced revenue further.

In November 2019, PennDOT slashed $700 million in scheduled transportation upgrades.

PennDOT later offered to provide $312 million in the state’s discretionary budget, beginning in 2027.

Piper said over the next two decades the county would need $2.3 billion to maintain all its transportation needs, which include transit costs as well as road and bridge upgrades and replacements.

“Everyone wants funding for infrastructure, but no one wants to pay for it,” Piper said.

Piper said the county has its requested funding for 2021 and 2022 projects coming in from the state, but does not know what will be available in the future.

He said PennDOT prioritizes what is best for the health of the entire transportation system statewide.

The Reading Area Transportation Study group works to prioritize projects that need quick local attention and set long-range plans.

PennDOT has a $9.3 billion annual shortfall in funding transportation statewide.

Desperate for money, PennDOT is considering tolling nine bridges $1 to $2 per vehicle on interstates that are in major need of repairs.