HARRISBURG - Governor Rendell announced today that he has reached a tentative agreement with Bank of New York to buy the entire 500-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike, including the Northeast Extension to Scranton, for $20 billion. Bank of New York said it plans to move the highway to New York. Governor Rendell told reporters that with the loss of the Turnpike, he will encourage motorists to use alternate routes, such as Routes 30, 22 and 80. Rendell explained that he fought to keep the Turnpike in Pennsylvania, but that "New York City is the transportation capital of the planet and it is difficult to argue with that." Even though the Turnpike will be moved, Rendell noted that Pennsylvania may actually gain as many as 2,000 jobs over the next three to five years as a result of the deal. He refused to explain how that could occur.
