HARRISBURG -- Repair Fort Duquesne Bridge. Pave Liberty Bridge. Repair concrete in the Liberty Tunnel. Finish the North Shore Connector.
Those Allegheny County projects are on the state's wish list, and officials are hoping for federal money to fund them.
It's all predicated on Congress and President-elect Barack Obama, after he is inaugurated, agreeing on an economic recovery bill.
"All of the talk coming out of Washington is that there is consensus that an economic recovery program is needed and transportation needs to be a significant part of the program," said Rich Kirkpatrick, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. "The feeling is that this will pass, but there is still a question of how big the dollar amounts will be."
Pennsylvania has $1.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects and $748 million in mass transit projects ready for construction as soon as funding is in place.
That includes $352.6 million for projects in Allegheny County, $30 million in Beaver, $14.6 million in Fayette and $96.4 million combined in Washington and Westmoreland counties.
It also includes $187.7 million for the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Most of that would be used for cost overruns on the North Shore connector, a $435 million project that will extend a light-rail system from Gateway Center Station under the Allegheny River to the North Shore.
The project, which is funded 80 percent by the federal government, is running over budget by $117.8 million.
"The project is in jeopardy … and there is no state or county money available to ensure the completion of the project," said authority spokeswoman Judi McNeil. "If, in fact, we receive [the federal stimulus money] we can complete the project."
The state's wish list includes replacing Herman Road Bridge in Beaver County, resurfacing part of Route 19 in Washington County and replacing signal lights near the Penn State Campus in North Union Township, Fayette County.
"Our approach to highway and bridge candidate projects was based on two considerations," said Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler. "First, the project had to be in a position to move quickly. The thrust of the stimulus plan is to boost the economy as soon as possible.
"Second, we must use these anticipated additional resources to cut into the backlog of bridge, pavement and other infrastructure preservation needs we face."
The wish list has not yet been prioritized.
It is unlikely the state would receive the $1.5 billion needed for all projects on its list.
Typically, Pennsylvania receives 4.3 percent of federal allocations for transportation. With the feds talking about a $30 billion package, Pennsylvania might get as much as $1.3 billion under that formula.
A focus of the stimulus package is on transportation projects.
"When you're building or repairing a highway, it involves a lot of workers who are local," Mr. Kirkpatrick said. "Paychecks aren't going someplace else, they're going to people who work right here, and the expectation is that they will take that money and buy groceries and pay for their housing and run that money back through the local economy."
