"The U.S. Department of Transportation's recent rejection of the application to toll Interstate 80 will have an immediate and significant impact on SEPTA's capital investment program," Casey testified.
SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said he could not predict when money for the Ardmore project might be restored.
The public part of the Ardmore project's funding faces a $20 million to $30 million gap, all parties agreed. Where the money will come from isn't clear - but the project never was 100 percent funded, Township Commissioner V. Scott Zelov said.
"There are funding uncertainties," he said, "but there have been funding uncertainties from the beginning." Zelov said he still had "confidence in Dranoff Properties based on their track record and their commitment to the project."
Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) has included a request for $10 million in a federal transportation bill, Dranoff and Zelov said. But Zelov cautioned against regarding that as a surefire replacement for SEPTA's piece.
Meanwhile, all parties are beating the bushes for other funding sources. "This is routine," Dranoff said. "We remain as committed as ever."
Christine Vilardo, who heads a business-district group called the Ardmore Initiative, said she regarded the extension as just another blip on the project's horizon.
If the project takes longer, "it's frustrating, but so be it, Vilardo said. "We believe everybody means what they say. We remain optimistic."
Contact staff writer Bonnie L. Cook at 610-313-8232 or bcook@phillynews.com.
Inquirer staff writer Derrick Nunnally contributed to this article.
