Transportation officials in Pennsylvania have released a summary of lease documents signed in mid-October by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The lease turns over control of Interstate 80 from the state DOT to the Turnpike Commission for the purpose of imposing tolls on the 311-mile interstate.

Click here to read the lease summary.

The summary outlines the payment obligations from the turnpike commission to the DOT with and without including toll revenue from I-80.

Transportation officials have kept the lease tightly sealed, even though several news organizations, state and federal lawmakers, and individuals have requested to see the public document.

OOIDA member Leroy Layser of Lebanon, PA, filed an official request with the state’s right-to-know officer in Harrisburg to obtain a copy of the lease. According to Pennsylvania’s right-to-know law, government officials must provide public information within 10 business days of a request made by a Pennsylvania resident.

At press time Monday, Oct. 29, Land Line had not been able to confirm the date that officials received Layer’s request for information or whether the 10-day response clock had started.

It is still unknown exactly when officials signed the lease, but it is generally believed it was sometime between Oct. 13 and Oct. 16.

The exact date of the transaction is a key factor because the state legislature mandated that the deal be completed “prior to October 15, 2007.”

– By David Tanner, staff writer
david_tanner@landlinemag.com