Gov. Tom Corbett wandered into a South Side construction site Tuesday and went behind some protective sheeting, inspecting the first coat of fresh paint applied to the underbelly of the rusting Birmingham Bridge.
The visit was about more than inspecting a paint job; it appeared to be as much a bid to varnish his image with voters as the Nov. 4 election approaches. Several polls have Democratic challenger Tom Wolf with a sizable lead.
Mr. Corbett used the occasion to tout the benefits of the transportation funding legislation he signed last year. His staff assembled dozens of supporters and beneficiaries of the measure to stand behind him, and several were called forward to praise the achievement.
Among them was Philip Ameris, president and business manager of the Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania, which has endorsed Mr. Corbett. He said employment in his union has risen 30 percent in the past year.
“The union halls are empty,” he said, adding later, “without the governor, this bill never would have passed.”
“Last year we were warning about the number of jobs that would be lost — 12,000. What a difference a year makes,” said Richard Barcaskey, executive director of the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania, who said the state has added 10,800 construction jobs since August 2013.
Robert Nelkin, president and chief professional officer of the United Way of Allegheny County, said the bill preserved public transit service, which he called “a lifeline” for two-thirds of those who need to travel to obtain human services and an equal percentage of those employed by human service agencies.
Noting that he visited the deteriorating bridge last year to urge the Legislature to pass a funding measure, Mr. Corbett said, “This bridge, the Birmingham Bridge, once a symbol of the need for more investment in our infrastructure, is soon going to be the shining example of that investment.”
The governor also addressed critics of the legislation, who said a restructuring of the gasoline tax would translate to higher pump prices.
“To those critics … I’d simply ask you to take a look at the price of gas today. It’s less than it was a few months ago and it’s less than it was at the time that we passed this bill,” he said.
The legislation caused a 9.5-cent-per-gallon increase in the tax paid by gasoline wholesalers this year and will raise the tax by another 9.7 cents on Jan. 1. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in Pennsylvania was $3.42 on Tuesday, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. It was $3.53 when the higher tax took effect.
Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch said gasoline prices are affected more by fluctuations in the price of crude oil than by taxation. “We don’t know and we’ll never know” what impact the transportation legislation has had on pump prices, he said.
Mr. Corbett said PennDOT will have begun 250 projects by the end of this year that wouldn’t have been possible without the transportation bill. It will generate an estimated $1.4 billion in new revenue for roads, bridges, transit and other transportation modes this year.
The projects will upgrade 1,600 miles of roads and 83 bridges, he said.
The $28.5 million rehabilitation of the rusting 38-year-old Birmingham Bridge was one of them. It will get steel and substructure repairs, a new concrete surface, lighting upgrades and a fresh coat of paint between now and 2017.
“Everybody will notice a difference, those who ride on the bridge and those who see the bridge as they come into town,” Mr. Corbett said.
First Published: September 30, 2014, 5:19 p.m.
Updated: October 1, 2014, 2:48 a.m.
