The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) was created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Pennsylvania Turnpike

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...

. The commission consists of five members. Four members are appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. The fifth member is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation.

In addition to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the commission also operates the James E. Ross Highway, Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass

Pennsylvania Route 66

Pennsylvania Route 66 is a long state highway in Western Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 6 in Kane. Its southern terminus is at US 119 near New Stanton. West of Greensburg, PA 66 becomes the tolled Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, a part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System. The...

, Mon/Fayette Expressway and Pittsburgh's Southern Beltway

Pennsylvania Route 576

Pennsylvania Route 576, the Southern Beltway, is a partially completed highway in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...

, the latter two of which are currently under construction.

The PTC is the only transportation agency in Pennsylvania that is not part of PennDOT

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...

, though it does follow current PennDOT policies and procedures. Joseph G. Brimmeier

Joseph G. Brimmeier

Joseph G. Brimmeier is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.Brimmeier attended Pittsburgh's North Catholic High School...

 is the current CEO.

Legislation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly

Pennsylvania General Assembly

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...

 is currently pending that would fold the PTC into PennDOT, with PennDOT appointing a Deputy Secretary to run the toll roads in the state. Such a move would be done for efficiency and cost reasons, as well as to cut down on the government bureaucracy

Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...

.

History

The PTC was established by law on 1937, when Pennsylvania Governor George Earle signed Act 9-11 into law. The first commissioners were named on June 4 of the same year.

On April 28, 2010, Governor Ed Rendell

Ed Rendell

Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...

 proposed that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission be merged into the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...

. A special session of the state legislature will vote on this issue on May 4. On August 26, 2010, PennDOT told the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission that they needed to pay them $118 million for public transit funding provided by Act 44 or PennDOT would have veto power over the Turnpike Commission's decisions.

Highways

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission finances, operates and maintains the following highways:

• The Pennsylvania Turnpike
  Pennsylvania Turnpike
  The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
  
   mainline across southern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstates 70
  Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania
  In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, Interstate 70 runs east–west across the southwest part of the state serving the southern half of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. About half of the route is concurrent with Interstate 76 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
  
  , 76
  Interstate 76 (east)
  Interstate 76 is an Interstate Highway in the United States, running 435 miles from an interchange with Interstate 71 west of Akron, Ohio, east to Interstate 295 near Camden, New Jersey....
  
   and 276.
• The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension across eastern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 476
  Interstate 476
  Interstate 476 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania designated between Interstate 95 near Chester and Interstate 81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor through eastern Pennsylvania....
  
  .
• The James E. Ross Highway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 376
  Interstate 376
  Interstate 376 is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located entirely within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville, after having crossed the Turnpike...
  
  .
• The Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 66
  Pennsylvania Route 66
  Pennsylvania Route 66 is a long state highway in Western Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 6 in Kane. Its southern terminus is at US 119 near New Stanton. West of Greensburg, PA 66 becomes the tolled Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, a part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System. The...
  
  .
• The James J. Manderino Highway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 43.
• The Southern Beltway in western Pennsylvania, signed as Pennsylvania Route 576
  Pennsylvania Route 576
  Pennsylvania Route 576, the Southern Beltway, is a partially completed highway in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
  
  . At some point in the future, the bypass is expected to be signed as Interstate 576.
• The Keystone Shortway across northern Pennsylvania, signed as Interstate 80
  Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania
  The transcontinental Interstate 80 is designated across northern Pennsylvania as the Keystone Shortway, officially the Z.H. Confair Memorial Highway. This route was built mainly along a completely new alignment, not paralleling any earlier U.S. Routes, as a shortcut to the tolled Pennsylvania...
  
  , has been leased to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Act 44 of 2007 for conversion to a future toll road. On September 11, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration rejected Pennsylvania's application to toll Interstate 80.