Diesel fuel prices in Pennsylvania have climbed to $6.54 per gallon, just seven cents below the state record set a few weeks ago, impacting PennDOT operations.
The high fuel costs are affecting equipment used for maintenance projects such as paving, filling potholes, and bridge preservation.
“That basically means if we had picked a road to pave, maybe we can’t pave it at that time. We may have to do a seal coat on top to extend the life expectancy of that road until we have the funding again to actually pay for that,” PennDOT said.
PennDOT stated that larger construction and preservation projects are currently unaffected because fuel costs for these projects are set during the bidding process before work begins.