Pennsylvania Act 1959-322 — AUTHORIZING THE TURNPIKE COMMISSION TO CONSTRUCT TUNNELS

Act text

(Act amended Nov. 26, 1978, P.L.1411, No.331)

AN ACT

Authorizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to finance and construct certain additional projects on the Pennsylvania Turnpike System.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Pennsylvania would be promoted by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission undertaking projects from time to time designed to improve the safety of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System and provide better and more efficient service for its users.

Section 2. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is hereby authorized and empowered at any time and from time to time, to construct, improve and reconstruct, as projects, on any part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System as hereinafter described, now open to vehicular traffic, improvements, betterments, extraordinary maintenance and repairs including toll plazas, interchanges, bridges, additional tunnels and lanes on the following sections of the Pennsylvania Turnpike:

(1) Between the Irwin and Carlisle interchanges (commonly referred to as the original turnpike).

(2) Between the Ohio line and Irwin interchanges (commonly referred to as the western extension).

(3) Between the Carlisle and Valley Forge interchanges (commonly referred to as the Philadelphia extension).

(4) From the Valley Forge interchange to and including the Delaware River Bridge (commonly referred to as the Delaware River extension).

(5) From the junction with the Delaware River extension to the Scranton terminus (commonly referred to as the northeastern extension).

All of the preceding sections and extensions shall be included in the meaning of the term Pennsylvania Turnpike System.

Section 3. The commission shall not issue turnpike revenue bonds, notes or other obligations to finance the costs of capital improvements projects unless the issuance thereof is approved by the General Assembly by passage of a concurrent resolution or unless bonds, notes or other obligations have heretofore been issued to finance the costs, in whole or in part, of such project and are otherwise authorized by existing statutes; except that the following projects are hereby approved, without further action by the General Assembly, for financing by issuance from time to time of bonds, notes or other obligations of the commission in an amount equal to the costs of the projects (now estimated to be approximately $163,500,000), a contingency reserve of 10%, issuance expenses and capitalized interest during construction:

The above improvements and estimated costs thereof are more completely described in the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's amended Capital Improvement Program, Volume II, dated January 1978. Bonds, notes or other obligations of the commission approved hereunder for issuance by the commission shall not be deemed to be a debt of the Commonwealth or a pledge of the faith and credit of the Commonwealth, but shall be payable solely from revenues of the commission, including tolls or other funds available to the commission for such purpose.

Section 4. If the commission deletes a project or if the estimated costs of any of the projects itemized herein is not necessary for the proper design, acquisition or construction of such project, the funds no longer required may be allocated by the commission to the estimated cost of any one or more other projects itemized in section 3 above and included in the bond financing.

Section 5. This act shall be construed as granting supplemental and additional powers to the commission and shall not be construed as being in derogation of any other powers of the commission granted by any other act; and in the event that any provision of this act shall be in conflict with the provisions of any other act, the provisions of this act shall govern.

Section 6. This act shall take effect immediately.