HARRISBURG -- If the federal government doesn't allow Pennsylvania to place tolls on Interstate 80, the amount of money available to improve the state's ailing roads, bridges and public transit systems will be significantly reduced.

That's what state Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler told a joint meeting of the House Appropriations and Transportation committees yesterday.

He was discussing Act 44 of 2007, which relies on raising Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls by 25 percent starting in January, and by placing similar-sized tolls on I-80, which, like the turnpike, spans the length of the state.

The I-80 tolls can't become reality, however, until the Federal Highway Administration allows the state to impose them. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has asked for federal permission, but its application was returned for additional data.

It isn't known when the federal highway agency will rule on the I-80 tolling request. The FHWA has been studying road-tolling requests by two other states for the past three years and still hasn't decided.

If the feds prohibit the Turnpike Commission from putting tolls on I-80, "It's like half the bottom falling out of Act 44 finances," Mr. Biehler said.

Several legislators from the I-80 corridor, including Rep. Fred McIlhattan, R-Clarion, and Rep. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe, said they're opposed to the I-80 tolls because it will cause a financial burden for the companies and residents of their areas.

They complained that no public hearings were held on the idea in the spring of 2007 before the Legislature approved the I-80 tolling plan in July. Since then, a public outcry has erupted along the I-80 corridor, led by U.S. Reps. John Peterson, R-Venango, and Phil English, R-Erie.

Mr. Biehler noted that other ideas for raising large-scale transportation improvement funds -- like raising the gasoline tax by 12 cents per gallon or leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private operator -- also have generated considerable opposition. Meanwhile, he said, the condition of roads and bridges continues to deteriorate and transit agencies face deficits.

Mr. Biehler said Act 44 financial projections call for $750 million to be generated in 2007-08 -- $450 million to go for fixing roads and bridges and $300 million for the Port Authority of Allegheny County, SEPTA in the Philadelphia area and other mass transit systems.

For fiscal 2008-09, which begins July 1, Act 44 is supposed to produce $850 million -- $500 million for roads and bridges and $350 million for transit. Ultimately, over a 10-year period, the funding was projected to average $946 million per year for the transportation infrastructure improvements.

If the tolling of I-80 is rejected by the feds, the revenue available will drop to a flat $450 million each year, Mr. Biehler said -- $200 million for roads and bridges and $250 million for mass transit.

That would severely limit the state's ability to fix or replace the 5,900 state-owned bridges that currently have structural deficiencies, he said.

Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland told the committee that Act 44 funding had helped his agency substantially and hoped that such funding won't be reduced.

He said Act 44 provided an additional $55 million this year to erase an operating budget deficit and an extra $12 million for capital needs. That money allowed the Port Authority to cancel a 10 percent reduction in service it was considering and the planned layoffs of 155 workers.