It might be a dead issue if Gov. Ed Rendell is successful in rushing through a lease for the Pennsylvania Turnpike — unlikely, given slow-moving legislative pace in Harrisburg.

However, an idea put forth in a newly released study by the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based libertarian think tank, adds another topic for discussion amid the debate over tolling Interstate 80 and leasing the Turnpike to a private entity.

That new basis for discussion is whether truck-only lanes should be part of a tolled I-80 to accommodate longer, heavier tractor-trailers, such as those used in some other parts of the country, particularly the West.

State residents should oppose the bigger rigs, even if the addition of I-80 truck-only lanes would eventually be added, whether the interstate is tolled or not.

According to the foundation, I-80 tolls could provide enough money to modernize the interstate, including adding the truck-only lanes.

The ability to roll the bigger rigs — carrying a bigger, oftentimes heavier cargo — through the state might ease the sting of the I-80 tolls on trucking companies, if tolls were imposed. However, it's reasonable to fear that the monster rigs would decrease safety, especially in winter.

Those conditions, coupled with Pennsylvania's mountainous terrain, provide an argument against the bigger rigs. The Central Plains and areas of the South and Far West provide a safer landscape for the larger rigs.

Pennsylvania officials shouldn't be shortsighted in considering the extra-lanes proposal as part of a tolled I-80, as long as tolling remains a prospect — however remote — just as they shouldn't be shortsighted in regard to the Turnpike-leasing issue.

Regarding the Turnpike, extensive hearings should be held statewide on the leasing question, and the General Assembly should demand access to all proposals received, not just the one Rendell prefers.

Rendell's aim to acquire as quickly as possible the money needed to improve approximately 6,000 structurally deficient bridges and 8,500 miles of state-owned roadways that are in bad condition is commendable. But whatever lease proposal or proposals he ultimately introduces must be subjected to intense scrutiny, not just in the legislative chambers of the state Capitol, where lawmakers sometimes vote on legislation without having read it completely.

Rendell is expected to announce the highest bid for the Turnpike by the end of this month and wants the General Assembly to vote by mid-June to lease the toll road. However, the "slow down" attitude voiced by some lawmakers makes the governor's hopes appear too optimistic.

"None of us have been in the loop on this," said Rep. Richard Geist, R-Altoona, the top Republican on the House Transportation Commmittee. "We need a lot of education on this lease proposal."

Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville, Transportation Committee chairman, said, "I urge him (Rendell) to get on with the majority of legislators who passed Act 44 and lobby federal officials for tolling I-80."

Markosek sponsored Act 44, a transportation funding bill that seeks federal approval to implement I-80 tolls. The Monroeville lawmaker said hearings across the state on a Turnpike lease would make Rendell's timetable virtually impossible.

While it is important to reach a decision in a reasonable amount of time on whatever Turnpike plan is placed on the legislative table, the decision most in line with the state's best interests must be the objective. The governor's judgment on which idea is best must not prevail among lawmakers of either party.

Rendell is correct regarding the scope of Pennsylvania's highway, bridge and mass transit needs. However, as for costly truck-only lanes, they aren't essential, whether I-80 eventually is tolled or not.

As for the bigger rigs suggested by Reason, they would cause more wear and tear on road surfaces.

For the time being, proponents and opponents of I-80/Turnpike proposals can be expected to cling to their stances. While backing for Rendell's Turnpike-lease plan probably would kill the I-80 tolling proposal, until a lease deal is done, the tolling plan cannot be completely ruled out.

Some lawmakers, regardless of how good a Turnpike lease proposal might appear, are reluctance to give up an entity that has provided jobs for lawmakers' friends and relatives for years. Like Harrisburg's slow-moving legislative climate, such concerns unfortunately remain a fact of life in the state capital.

Other lawmakers will remain opposed to the prospect of foreign management of the Turnpike.

Mistakes regarding the Turnpike and I-80 will be difficult to undo. Caution must prevail.

This year is being viewed as a critical juncture for the state's transportation infrastructure. The state must not make a wrong turn.