The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced it distributed $24.8 billion of FY2001 federal highway funds to the state departments of transportation (DOTs) shortly after the enactment of the FY2001 transportation appropriations bill. By the end of the year, FHWA will distribute another $1.64 billion to the states to be used for high priority projects designated in TEA-21.

Excluding allocated programs, state DOTs will receive a grand total of $28.5 billion of federal highway funds in FY2001. This is $3 billion or 11.6 percent above the total distributed to the states for FY2000.

The table summarizes federal highway and bridge funding which has been apportioned to Pennsylvania as of October 2000:

A Look Ahead to 2001

Smoothness. At the APC/PennDOT Fall Seminar held in mid-November, Michael M. Ryan, P.E., Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration, provided a much anticipated preview of the upcoming letting schedule in 2001 while showing improvement of ride smoothness of Pennsylvania’s roads throughout the years.

PennDOT is committed to improving the ride quality of Pennsylvania’s interstate highway system. Since 1991, Pennsylvania was branded the state with the worst roads in the country. But PennDOT continues to break this myth through scientific-based measurements called the International Roughness Index, or IRI, which shows Pennsylvania’s interstates have improved dramatically over the last couple years. The measure fell to 88 compared to 96 in 1998. The lower the IRI number, the smoother the ride.

Pennsylvania’s smoother ride also relates to the increased investment that PennDOT is making in road and bridge improvements. By making road lanes and shoulders wider, adding medians and improving bridges and other surface improvements, fatalities are cut significantly.

According to FHWA, constructing a median for traffic separation can reduce fatalities by 73 percent, widening or improving a shoulder by 22 percent, and realigning a roadway by 66 percent.

Letting. It is estimated that there will be $600 million worth of projects for the first quarter and a total of $1.3 billion by the end of the year. Compared to 2000, project lettings will total nearly $1.35 billion.

In the upcoming years from 2001 to 2003 projected bridge lettings are estimated at $300 million each year.

Bridge lettings for the year 2000 are expected to total $325 million.

For more information, visit PennDOT’s Web site at www.dot.state.pa.us under APC/PennDOT Fall Seminar on the homepage.

(The preceding article appears courtesy of Pennsylvania Highway Information Association’s “Speaking of Highways.”)

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