HARRISBURG – Legislation that would permit counties to use Act 13 funding to improve county and municipal bridges in accordance with state and federal laws passed the House this week with bipartisan support. According to Rep. Sheryl M. Delozier (R Cumberland), the bill she is a prime sponsor of would help repair and maintain some of the oldest bridges in the country. Currently, under Act 13 of 2012, funding contributed by the Marcellus Legacy Fund to the Highway Bridge Improvement Restricted Account is limited to replacement or repair of locally owned at risk deteriorated bridges. Once a county completes all eligible repairs, unused funds cannot be applied to other bridge needs. House Bill 2437 would modernize this restriction by allowing counties to use Act 13 bridge funding for any county or municipal bridge project, including general maintenance, which allows earlier intervention before the deterioration is so severe and expensive, provided the work adheres to state and federal requirements. In addition, any leftover funding from an approved bridge project could be used on other bridge projects within the county, enabling greater efficiency and eliminating situations where dollars sit idle despite ongoing infrastructure needs. The bill would preserve existing Act 13 safeguards, including the requirement that counties submit bridge improvement plans for approval by PennDOT and that funds are distributed proportionally based on county population. Under the legislation, first and second class counties may continue to apply the funding to public transportation authority bridges.
