State Sen. Jake Corman’s proposal to add billions of dollars to Pennsylvania’s transportation budget for infrastructure improvements has drawn initial support from Centre County lawmakers and transportation officials.

“Someone must take responsibility for our infrastructure problem,” Corman said.

The Senate’s Appropriations Committee Chairman, Corman, R-Benner Township, announced Wednesday he would soon introduce legislation based on the conclusions of Gov. Tom Corbett’s recently convened Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. The commission presented its final report on Aug. 1, calling for new sources of transportation funding and implementation of reforms to increase the efficiency of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Corman said he decided to act after waiting in vain for Corbett to introduce legislation increasing funding to address the worsening problems caused by the state’s aging infrastructure.

“Myself, Sen. Scarnati and Sen. Pileggi met with the governor in early September and told him, ‘We have the votes to pass something if you’d like to do something on this,’” Corman said. “We told him we will stand behind (him). But there hasn’t been any action on this issue ... and I think it’s important for our economy and the safety of the traveling public to get this issue higher up on the discussion ladder.”

The bill would increase transportation funding by $2.5 billion annually by removing the cap on the oil franchise tax and increasing drivers’ license and car registration fees.

State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said he’s anxious to see the proposal.

“We all know unemployment has risen in Pennsylvania this year, and revenues are starting to do down again,” Conklin said. “We need to create jobs.”

He said there are transportation projects in Centre County that need to be addressed, including the section of U.S. Route 322 between Boalsburg and Potters Mills and the Interstate 99 and 80 interchange. And he’s glad to see a proposal to start creating jobs in Pennsylvania. But, he added, Corbett has pledged not to raise taxes.

“There are a lot of projects that need to be taken forward,” Conklin said. “But at the same time I’m anxious to see what the senator’s plan is because the governor is adamant that he will not sign anything into law to increase the revenue stream.”

Jon Eich, chairman of the Centre County Board of Commissioners, said the state’s transportation system has been underfunded for most of the past decade. Along with the Route 322 problem and I-99 interchange projects, Eich said a missing link in Centre County is the Corridor O project connecting Port Matilda to I-80.

“We put our residents at risk every day these projects are not completed,” Eich said. “We stifle the opportunities for economic development. We affect our quality of life. Seeing the state finally move to provide additional funding is a very welcome sign, and I hope it can get through the legislature this fall and be signed by the governor.”

CATA General Manager Hugh Mose, who served on the advisory commission, praised Corman for taking action. Because of funding limitations, CATA has “no ability” to expand its service to meet growing public transportation needs.

“It’s critically important that this issue get addressed this year, and the fact that Sen. Corman stepped up to the line and has begun the conversation is just the most important thing,” Mose said.

Mike Bloom, a senior transportation planner in the county Planning and Community Development Office, said his office had not yet reviewed Corman’s proposal but was in favor of it if it stuck to the advisory committee recommendations.

“In some discussions we’ve had here at the staff level, there’s general support for the work the (committee) did,” Bloom said.

Local business interests also lined up behind Corman’s bill. Dan Hawbaker, president of Glenn O. Hawbaker, one of the county’s major contractors on transportation projects, said it would increase the safety of local roadways and lead to his company adding jobs.

“Will it create jobs for our company? Yes, I think it will,” he said. “The larger issue, though, is how long we’ve procrastinated doing something. As time passes, more and more bridges are falling into the category of structurally deficient or impassible. The cost to the average driver is increasing because of these closures anyway. It doesn’t seem to be rocket science that we need to fix (the problem).”

Anne Danahy can be reached at 231-4648. Cliff White can be reached at 235-3928.