State Rep. Jeff Habay, R-Shaler, is dodging enough political bullets without having me training my sights on him. Sorry about that.

But I can't let a recent news release from his office pass without comment. The release was titled: "Habay Delivers End of Mae West Bend."

The release gives the impression that Mr. Habay was somehow single-handedly responsible for getting the $15 million project in Etna and Shaler under way, a long-overdue improvement of the busy feeder road to Route 28 and Pittsburgh, "after 75 years of patiently waiting."

For readers unfamiliar with the area, the project involves eliminating a notorious bend in Route 8 that resembles part of famous actress Mae West's anatomy. To make the highway, let's say flat-chested, PennDOT's contractor is chipping away the high hill hugging Route 8 and carting away 140,000 cubic yards of stone and dirt.

Up to 50,000 motorists a day are affected by the project that has shifted traffic to the southbound side while excavation is taking place along the closed northbound lanes. About a mile of Route 8 will be rebuilt and realigned to eliminate the landmark curve by May 2007 and help traffic flow more smoothly.

"Habay said he was able to secure this $15 million transportation improvement project with the help of House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadephia," the fairy-tale of a news release said, referring to his colleague who recently visited town to read to grade school pupils.

Truth is, PennDOT wanted to upgrade Route 8 long before Mr. Habay ever was elected, but politicians kept shifting highway funds to projects worth more re-election votes.

Truth is, PennDOT might have done the job earlier if the department had been adequately funded, but Habay voted against raising the taxes that are now being used to help pay for it.

Truth is, if political power brokers had their way, Mr. Habay's legislative district and those of dozens of other southwestern Pennsylvania lawmakers would get virtually nothing because they voted "no" in 1997 to increase the gas tax, driver licenses and motor vehicle fees.

When he challenged Mr. Habay's re-election in 1996, Democrat Tom Sunday, a longtime Shaler commissioner, claimed that state politicians delayed the Mae West Bend project to punish Mr. Habay for opposing the gas tax boost, a claim the incumbent did not refute at the time.

PennDOT is improving Route 8 in spite of Mr. Habay, not because of him or others of his political ilk.

Mr. Habay's news release also had the audacity to suggest he deserved credit for tens of millions of dollars of Route 28 improvements. The release began:

"SHALER -- Immediately after spearheading the multimillion-dollar successful rebuilding of Route 28 in O'Hara, Shaler and Etna that will dramatically improve the safety of area motorists ...," Rep. Jeffrey Habay blah, blah, blah.

Mr. Habay had no more to do with accomplishing the Route 28 work than you or I.

Mr. Habay is not the only one guilty of political hypocrisy. His news release just happened to catch me on a bad hair day.

About new Parkway West interchange. An unidentified caller left a message asking a reasonable question about the new Settlers Cabin/Campbells Run Road interchange. That is, will the Moon Run and Bishop's Corners ramps remain open?

Yes, said PennDOT District 11 Executive Dan Cessna. "There were a lot of objections to closing the ramps" when public meetings were held during development of the interchange project.

Mr. Cessna explained:

"This will come together better when the Parkway West/Interstate 79 'missing ramps' project is constructed [starting next year], adding the two ramps and widening 1.5 miles of the Parkway from four to six lanes.

"The new lane toward the airport, enabling I-79 south traffic to exit onto the Parkway West, will drop at the existing Bishop's Corner exit ramp.

"The existing short acceleration lane from Bishop's Corner onto the Parkway West toward Pittsburgh will be lengthened in conjunction with construction of the new ramp to I-79 North."

West End "hole in the wall." John Arnold, of Sewickley, is the latest to ask about a 50-foot-long tunnel that PennDOT built at the West End Circle to provide a direct connection between Route 51 and the West End Bridge.

"After all of the hassle of closing things down and causing tons of delays, whatever happened?" he e-mailed. "It now sits dormant, unused, except for some new graffiti plastered on it."

PennDOT closed the new, $5 million tunnel under the railroad tracks after only a couple of months of use in 2003 during the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel makeover.

Officially, it was the first of a two-phase project to unclog traffic and upgrade the intersection that links Route 51/19, the West End Bridge, West Carson Street and the West End neighborhood. PennDOT said the tunnel would remain shut until it finishes Phase 2, an estimated $42 million job involving "flyover" ramps, reconstruction, relocation and who knows what else.

Tentatively, construction is supposed to start sometime next year. You're supposed to be able to use the West End hole-in-the-wall sometime in 2008. That's tentative. Very tentative.

Elsewhere. Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc. has been hired by PennDOT to operate its driver and vehicle services call center. The firm will establish the state's center in Harrisburg and employ about 120 people.

Believe it! PennDOT employs 459 people through the Pennsylvania Industries for the Blind and Handicapped at its 97 photo license centers throughout the state.

Plate du jour. Mark Sampogna, of Green Tree, spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate WE XKAV8 at the construction site of the recently completed Parkway West-Campbells Run Road interchange. I DIGIT.