With the idea of tolling Interstate 80 now somewhere in political limbo, Gov. Ed Rendell has moved forward on his alternative solution to finance desperately needed improvements to Pennsylvania's roads, bridges and mass transit: leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private concessionaire.

The deal is freighted with iffy terms: a 75-year lease, an extremely optimistic 12 percent annual rate of return and a lump- sum payment to the state that inflation would diminish as the years go by. And state legislators are divided over the wisdom of the deal. Notably, some Republican leaders support the governor on this issue while some of his Democratic allies in the Legislature oppose it.

In Europe, infrastructure leases have been more common but shorter; more like 30 years instead of 75. The turnpike itself hasn't been around that long, only since 1940; think of all the changes we've gone through since. Who knows what the future holds? Many details of the lease remain unknown, too.

On the other hand, there's Act 44, passed into law last July, that finally and definitively would provide substantial dedicated funding for the state's transportation needs. An essential element of the new measure is tolling I-80 from New Jersey to Ohio. But state and federal representatives from communities along the highway have championed a public outcry against the proposal and threaten to overturn it.

The beef in brief: "It's not fair!" Why, Act 44 opponents ask, do we have to pay a toll when I-80 has always been "free?" Why can't the state just increase tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike? After all, the turnpike has always been tolled. Folks there are used to it, goes the argument.

Opponents of tolling I-80 also claim that many local businesses along the highway would fail and that others would relocate. They say truckers would avoid I-80 by detouring through New York or even by following secondary roads in Pennsylvania.

But would truckers really spend the extra hours and extra gallons of diesel fuel to avoid a few dollars in tolls? Would truckers want to erode their speed advantage over rail freight? Rail is becoming more competitive as fuel prices rise because it can move goods with greater energy efficiency and less pollution.

Besides, proceeds from tolling I-80 would come mostly from pass-through, interstate traffic, especially trucks. We're glad to provide maintenance, police and emergency services to all I-80 users but right now the through traffic gets all this for free. Heavy long-haul trucks and buses, by the way, more so than cars, tear up our highways and force frequent, costly repairs.

And where would I-80 businesses relocate? Would they move farther from their markets? Transportation costs are going up everywhere. Perhaps they would move closer to rail hubs.

Since the turnpike opened in 1940, adjacent businesses and communities have not only survived, they have thrived. Many truck depots and freight enterprises have located along the turnpike, paying tolls to maintain the roadway while enriching local communities. Why should southern-tier communities now take a double hit while the northern tier gets a free pass?

One way or another, we need to pay to fix our crumbling infrastructure. And remember, what we pay directly to drive in America remains grossly underpriced.

Subsidies for oil companies, highway and bridge construction and emergency services are just part of the hidden costs. Add in "external costs," such as air and water pollution, traffic congestion, suburban sprawl, duplication of infrastructure and various services. Two independent studies show that Pennsylvania's annual public health costs from vehicle emissions tops $1 billion. Then there are the costs of global warming and increasing dependence on dwindling, costly foreign oil and natural gas.

Just as national security was a factor in building the interstate highway system, it remains so today. We need broad investment in the maintenance of highway infrastructure and improvement of transportation alternatives such as mass transit. Otherwise traffic congestion will continue to drain our resources and leave us with an unsustainable economy and environment.

Tolling I-80 would cause some disruption for some segments of our population, but they likely would adjust quickly and far more easily than critics would suggest.

The bottom line is that we must invest more to nurture our economy and our quality of life. And this means repairing our highways and bridges and providing better, more accessible public transportation as soon as possible.