WHY PENNSYLVANIA NEEDS TRANSPORTATION REFORM

Pennsylvanians pay at the gas pump, at Turnpike tolls, and through higher shipping costs, yet too many roads and bridges are still in poor condition.

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My plan restructures the system.

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Passenger Turnpike tolls would be eliminated within three years. Pennsylvania's state gasoline tax would be phased out over five years. The covered commercial diesel tax would be replaced with a fairer weight-based road-use system for qualifying non-Turnpike miles.

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Existing roads and bridges get fixed before lower-priority expansion.

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Transportation money stays in transportation, Turnpike debt and bureaucracy are restructured, and every major dollar is publicly tracked.

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The goal is simple: lower transportation costs while building a funding system that can actually maintain Pennsylvania's infrastructure.

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THE PLAN AT A GLANCE

PHASE OUT THE GAS TAX

Pennsylvania's state gasoline tax would decline over five years:

Year 1: 15% reduction
Year 2: 30% total reduction
Year 3: 55% total reduction
Year 4: 80% total reduction
Year 5: Eliminated

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ELIMINATE PASSENGER TURNPIKE TOLLS

Year 1: Approximately 25% reduction
Year 2: Approximately 50% reduction
Year 3: Passenger tolls eliminated

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FIX ROADS FIRST

Structurally deficient bridges, dangerous roads, pavement, drainage, retaining walls, high-crash locations, and existing infrastructure would take priority over lower-priority expansion.

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MODERNIZE COMMERCIAL ROAD FUNDING

The covered commercial diesel tax would be replaced by a weight-based charge on qualifying non-Turnpike Pennsylvania miles.

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Commercial Turnpike tolls would be reduced, and Turnpike miles would not also be charged under the road-use system.

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PROTECT SMALL CARRIERS

Independent truckers and smaller fleets would receive meaningful discounts under the commercial road-use system.

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TRACK THE MONEY

Transportation funding would be dedicated, audited, publicly reported, and protected against diversion or double-counting with other reforms.

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HOW WE GET THERE

Transportation reform has to replace the old funding system responsibly, not simply eliminate revenue and hope for the best.

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FIRST: FIX WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE

Fix Roads First begins immediately.

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Pennsylvania would prioritize repairs and preservation before broad lower-priority expansion. The goal is to reduce the existing repair backlog by at least 50% before broad lower-priority expansion resumes.

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SECOND: PHASE OUT THE OLD DRIVER COSTS

The gasoline tax would decline over five years and passenger Turnpike tolls would disappear within three years.

This creates permanent structural relief rather than a temporary tax or toll holiday.

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THIRD: REPLACE THE FUNDING OPENLY

The current transportation model phases Pennsylvania's state sales tax from 6% toward 9% as the primary passenger-side replacement source.

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That is not the only transportation revenue.

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Commercial road-use charges, reduced commercial Turnpike tolls, federal funding, existing transportation revenue, debt restructuring, audits, procurement savings, and other dedicated sources would remain part of the system.

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Basic necessities remain protected, and the same revenue dollar cannot be counted toward both Transportation Reform and another reform.

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FOURTH: CREATE A FAIRER COMMERCIAL SYSTEM

Commercial vehicles would pay according to weight and qualifying non-Turnpike mileage.

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If a truck travels on the Turnpike and already pays a Turnpike toll, those miles are deducted from the road-use calculation.

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No double charging.

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Pennsylvania would use existing carrier records and Turnpike transactions instead of requiring continuous government GPS tracking solely to collect the charge.

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FIFTH: RESTRUCTURE THE SYSTEM

Pennsylvania would audit transportation spending, restructure Turnpike debt, move inappropriate State Police costs into Public Safety funding, and dissolve the Turnpike Commission as a separate statewide bureaucracy by integrating appropriate functions into PennDOT.

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Annual reviews would determine whether the system is collecting enough, too little, or more than it needs.

The objective is sufficient funding, not maximum taxation.

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WHAT THE PLAN DELIVERS

FOR DRIVERS & COMMUTERS

A five-year gasoline-tax phaseout, passenger Turnpike toll elimination within three years, better-maintained roads and bridges, and protection against replacing those costs with hidden motorist fees or broad mileage tracking.

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FOR FAMILIES

Lower direct driving costs while protecting groceries, prescription medication, rent, basic healthcare, residential utilities, and other protected necessities under the broader tax-reform framework.

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FOR INDEPENDENT TRUCKERS & SMALL CARRIERS

The covered diesel tax would be replaced rather than stacked with another tax.

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The working commercial model provides a 25% road-use discount for qualifying fleets of 1 to 6 power units and a 20% discount for qualifying fleets of 7 to 20.

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Commercial Turnpike tolls would also be reduced.

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FOR COMMERCIAL CARRIERS

The working road-use model uses approximately 8, 12, and 15 cents per mile depending on vehicle weight, with final statutory weight categories established during implementation.

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Turnpike miles would be excluded from that charge because the carrier already paid the Turnpike toll.

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FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Lower commercial Turnpike rates would encourage more heavy through-traffic onto roads designed for it instead of borough streets and local roads.

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Repeated toll-avoidance routing could face penalties when a reasonable commercial route exists, while legitimate deliveries, farms, construction, warehouses, businesses, fuel stops, and other local commerce remain protected.

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FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Local Liquid Fuels funding would remain protected during the transition.

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Transportation reform should not solve Harrisburg's problem by pushing another cost onto local property taxpayers.

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FOR TAXPAYERS

Major transportation projects, contracts, debt, delays, change orders, repair progress, and revenue would be publicly tracked.

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Failed projects and contractors could face audits, penalties, repayment, clawbacks, or debarment where appropriate.

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FOR PENNSYLVANIA

One more accountable statewide highway structure, less duplicate bureaucracy, more transparent State Police funding, lower transportation costs, and a system focused first on maintaining the infrastructure taxpayers already paid for.

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BOTTOM LINE

Pennsylvania families and businesses are paying too much for transportation while too many roads and bridges remain in poor condition.

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My plan changes the system.

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Phase out the gasoline tax.

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Eliminate passenger Turnpike tolls.

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Replace the covered commercial diesel tax with a fairer road-use system.

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Do not double-charge commercial carriers.

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Do not continuously track ordinary drivers or truckers just to collect transportation revenue.

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Protect independent truckers and small carriers.

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Make the Turnpike more affordable for commercial traffic so heavy through-trucks use roads designed for them.

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Fix existing roads and bridges before lower-priority expansion.

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Protect local transportation funding.

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Restructure Turnpike debt and eliminate unnecessary duplicate bureaucracy.

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Track every dollar and review the numbers every year.

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Fix Roads First. Eliminate Passenger Tolls. Cut Fuel Taxes. Lower Costs. Protect Communities. Hold Government Accountable.

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WANT THE FULL DETAILS?

This page gives the voter-facing summary of my Pennsylvania Transportation Reform.

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The complete policy package includes the detailed gasoline-tax phaseout, passenger-toll transition, sales-tax funding model, commercial road-use system, small-carrier protections, Turnpike reforms, local-road protections, infrastructure priorities, Liquid Fuels protections, audits, debt restructuring, funding safeguards, public reporting, and implementation details behind the plan.

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