HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians should soon start seeing highway projects funded under the state's major new transportation funding bill signed four months ago by Gov. Tom Corbett.

Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch said Monday work will begin in April on about $2 billion in highway projects that the state's releasing for the summer construction season.

Schoch says the transportation funding bill is contributing about $500 million of that, or enough for another 200 projects.

Under the law, higher fuel taxes, motorist fees and traffic fines will unfold over four years to collect an additional estimated $2.3 billion a year for state spending on roads, bridges and mass transit. That's a 40 percent increase.

HARRISBURG — The first gubernatorial candidates to file petitions to get on the May 20 primary ballot are Democrat John Hanger and Republican Bob Guzzardi.Major-party candidates who are seeking to compete for every office from state lawmaker to Congress to governor must turn in their nomination petitions by today.Monday's filings are from Hanger, a former state environmental protection secretary, and Guzzardi, a conservative activist and suburban Philadelphia businessman. Guzzardi hopes to challenge Gov. Tom Corbett, while Hanger is expected to compete with up to six other Democrats for the right to be the party's standard-bearer in the fall general election.