Whether Penn State students and faculty members come from the east or the west, the drive is never a smooth ride because of the low-quality highways entering Happy Valley.

The people of the commonwealth were so aggravated with these conditions across the state that a commission created by Gov. Ed Rendell has finally realized that they are willing to do anything -- well, almost anything -- to rid themselves of the problems.

In a report released by the bipartisan Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, it was recommended that $1.66 billion dollars be raised to improve highways, roads and public transit in the commonwealth.

To do this, taxpayers face several option -- and none of them are blatantly spectacular.

The commission recommended that a wholesale tax of 11.5 cents per gallon of gas and an increase in vehicle registration and drivers license fees be imposed to raise the benchmark amount.

While nobody would like to see the price of gas go up again -- ever -- it does happen and less than 12 cents a gallon is truly a bearable amount.

Also, the increases in cost for vehicle registration and license fees would be a bit of a headache at first, but the price would be paid rather infrequently and be less of an issue than it may appear.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Rich Fitzpatrick told The Daily Collegian that another option would be to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private company.

For the many Penn State students driving from the Philadelphia area, the thought of private ownership of the Turnpike should be terrifying. Giving a company complete control of the now $5 toll (approximately) allows it the opportunity to hike the cost at free will. Students have enough financial concerns as it is without having to worry about additional fees.

It is unlikely that any of these changes will take place within the year and, in the meantime, PennDOT should keep an eye on managing the current budget.

If the department keeps spending under control until changes take place, students can at least rely on the consistency of the bumpy ride home.