The first dollar that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission accepted from the federal government toward the cost of the Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway was a mistake.

That's the opinion of turnpike Chief Executive Officer Joe Brimmeier, whose frustration has been growing because the toll road agency which has used almost entirely state funds to raise $1.8 billion for the nation's second biggest highway project still needs $2.5 billion to finish the 100-mile network.

"When you look at the big picture, it has cost us more money than we've received to meet the myriad of federal regulations," he said. "My predecessors should never have taken that first dollar."

Because the turnpike got involved with the Federal Highway Administration some years ago, it is required to jump through extra hoops involving extensive, time-consuming and costly environmental and engineering studies.

Every paper-pusher at every office in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., has to review and approve every document. Nobody is in a hurry to get it done.

While consultants pocket big money, the bureaucratic delays have more than doubled original cost estimates. The process, plus inflation, continues to add $100,000 a day to the project's bottom line. "That comes from our consultants, not me," Brimmeier said.

The roads, which cut through Allegheny, Washington and Fayette counties, will impact lives and jobs in the region for decades to come.

As the General Assembly's designated developer of the toll road expansion program, the Turnpike Commission built the Beaver Valley Expressway (Toll 60) and Greensburg Bypass (Toll 66) more than a decade ago without a penny of federal money.

"The turnpike treated people fair when it came to property acquisitions," Brimmeier said. "They listened to the communities. They built replacement wetlands and they built two pretty good roads that met or exceeded federal requirements."

The turnpike is getting virtually squat from the federal government to help pay for the Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway.

The turnpike has received $63.1 million in federal funds toward the $1.8 billion raised to build the first 40 miles and to continue pre-construction work on the other 60 miles.

That's 3.5 percent.

That's peanuts.

By comparison, the federal government has been paying 90 percent of Boston's problem-riddled Central Artery/Tunnel project, known as the Big Dig. Bean counters there are at about $15 billion and still going.

Both Boston's 90 percent and the Pennsylvania Turnpike's 3.5 percent of costs come from the same pot of money, the 18.4 cents a gallon that you pay in federal gas taxes.

Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway supporters would have been happy getting just the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on mismanagement and waste on the Big Dig.

It's not that they haven't been trying to wrangle a fair share of money.

Turnpike and state officials went to Washington, D.C., in March to ask the local congressional delegation for help again. They asked members to lobby colleagues and decision-makers in the Federal Highway Administration to provide 20 percent, or up to $460 million, toward future project costs in the "high priority corridor" for transportation and economic development.

As an alternative, they asked Reps. Jack Murtha, D-Johnstown; Mike Doyle, D-Swissvale; and Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, to use their clout to get at least $60 million in discretionary money for the roads, which cut through their legislative districts.

But the federal transportation bill being debated in a U.S. House-Senate conference committee proposes far less: $5 million for the Mon-Fayette Expressway and $3 million for the Southern Beltway.

If the money is approved, the federal government will have paid only $71.1 million through 2012 toward the overall price tag now estimated at $4.3 billion.

That would be less than 2 percent and, as state Sen. Barry Stout, D-Bentleyville, noted, "not enough to pay for the survey flags."

Brimmeier complained that one local congressman "didn't put in for one penny" for the Mon-Fayette Expressway.

But Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Blair County, is being credited with giving the most help for the turnpike. He's a highway type of guy, like his father, Bud Shuster, longtime chairman of the House Transportation Committee and a proud "king of pork."

"The lack of federal support for these projects frustrates me," Brimmeier said. "If they designated our roads as interstates, if they just came up with 20 percent, we could finish and open them within eight years."

When the Mon-Fayette Expressway/Southern Beltway Executive Committee of civic, planning and government bigwigs last met in mid-June, David Zazworsky, the turnpike special consultant for toll roads expansion, said of lobbying efforts:

"All members of the congressional delegation agreed the projects have lots of merit and they offered support. We'll see what happens in the final [federal transportation funding] bill."

I'll tell you now.

Not much.

National headline. When it wrote about road conditions in our state, The Trucker, a weekly newsmagazine serving the trucking industry, carried the following headline: "Pennsylvania's seasons: winter and construction."

Brain malfunction. In a recent "Believe It!" item, I had highways on my mind when I said even-numbered Amtrak trains run east-west and odd-numbered trains run north-south. It's true for interstates, Bill Minkler, of Bethel Park, pointed out, but "you musta got some wires crossed" about trains.

In general, even-numbered Amtrak trains travel east-north while odd-numbered trains run south and west.

"Just thought you'd like to know," Minkler e-mailed. I knew, but I goofed.

Elsewhere. East Japan Railway Co. has unveiled a prototype of what it says will be the world's fastest train, a new "bullet train" whose operational speed is to be 186 mph but can attain 252 mph.

Believe it! Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the federal government has allocated $18.1 billion for airport security but only $250 million for transit security. About 14 million people a day use public transit.

Plate du jour. When she looked out the window of her condo in Kennedy, Joanne Erwin spotted the Virginia vanity plate PGH BOY. The fact that it wasn't a Pennsylvania plate says lots.