PITTSTON TWP. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport board unanimously approved a motion Friday to begin looking into forming a regional transportation authority.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien introduced the motion to explore creating one authority to handle all mass transit systems in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties and possibly Monroe County, including the airport, buses and rail.
By forming a regional transportation authority, the area would become the third-largest transportation system in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Mr. O'Brien said. It could give the region more clout and improve efficiency, he said.
"The future of Lackawanna County requires a strong Luzerne County, and the future of Luzerne County requires a strong Lackawanna County," Mr. O'Brien said.
The airport is already controlled by a bicounty board consisting of three members from Lackawanna and three from Luzerne.
The railroad authorities in Lackawana and Monroe counties merged to form the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, and Mr. O'Brien said he would like to include Luzerne County moving forward.
Luzerne County Transportation Authority and the County of Lackawanna Transit System already work together and this could be an opportunity for each to save money and collaborate further, Mr. O'Brien said.
Airport board members will request assistance from the state Department of Transportation to fund the study. Commissioners from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties have previously talked about asking the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to study whether regionalizing bus systems would save money and improve services in the region.
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania's most recently established county, was part of Luzerne County until 1878.
"We were one county a long time ago. It's time for us to get back together," said Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick O'Malley.
Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton said he was willing to discuss the opportunity for a regional transportation authority but would like to see the expenses.
Luzerne County Council Chairman Tim McGinley and Councilman Rick Williams joined Lackawanna County Commissioner Jim Wansacz in expressing support for the idea.
"I think it's long overdue. We have to take a look at trying to connect these communities," Mr. Wansacz said. "Progressive communities are looking at ways of doing this."
In other business, assistant airport director Michael Conner announced the number of passengers boarding planes decreased 1.3 percent in September to 17,564 from 17,802 in September 2012. He cited three reasons: the loss of a daily United flight to Newark, the reduction of U.S. Airways flights to Philadelphia on certain days and the hiatus of Allegiant flights to Orlando-Sanford.
The board accepted a grant from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for $41,784 to rehabilitate the terminal apron and install a runway. The grant is 5 percent of the total project cost of $835,680. Ninety percent of the project is being paid for through federal funds, with the airport paying the remaining 5 percent, said airport director Barry Centini.
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