The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved a total of $367,107 in pay raises (funded by toll revenue) for the organization’s chief officers, PennLive reported on Wednesday.

CEO Mark Compton received an $86,000 raise in April, bringing his annual salary to $348,000. The pay hikes were approved during a closed-door executive session in March. The meeting’s minutes are here.

The raises have sparked public criticism, in part stemming from ongoing annual toll increases for 17 consecutive years.

The Turnpike Commission justified the raises by citing a wage study recommending the increases to retain leadership and align salaries with market standards, according to ButlerRadio.com. The Turnpike Commission also said that while the entire operating budget, which includes salaries, is funded through toll dollars, annual toll increases pay for debt services as a result of Act 44.

“As in previous years, the PTC is obligated to raise rates annually as part of its legislative mandate to provide PennDOT supplemental funding for transit systems around the state as outlined by Act 44 of 2007,” Compton said in 2024. “While these payments were once $450 million a year, they have been reduced to $50 million annually. However, our organization had to borrow to make those payments, which total nearly $8 billion.”

Six Turnpike executives now earn more than $250,000 annually, exceeding the reported salary of Governor Josh Shapiro (who will make nearly $246,000 this year).  

Photos: Commonwealth Media Services, paturnpike.com