If you thought last summer's transportation funding deal in Harrisburg, which had imposing tolls on Interstate 80 as its centerpiece, made moot Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to privatize the Pennsylvania Turnpike, think again.

And keep in mind that one of the biggest obstacles to Rendell's renewed push to lease the Turnpike is right here in the East Suburbs.

Rendell expects bids from potential Turnpike lessees to be submitted by the end of April. He'd like lawmakers to approve a 75-year lease by mid-June.

State Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, responded by saying, "It is unrealistic to assume a decision of such magnitude could be made by mid-June."

Markosek was among the principal legislative supporters of last July's Act 44. And since then, he consistently has advocated working to secure federal administrative approval that's necessary for tolling I-80.

The notion of tolling I-80 has met with some opposition in Congress, especially from U.S. House members whose districts include the I-80 corridor. Lawmakers who represent that area in Harrisburg also oppose tolling I-80.

Implicit in Markosek's support for I-80 tolls is support for the status quo regarding the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which would be eliminated if the state leases the Turnpike to a private operator. So would the Turnpike Commission's long role in political patronage.

But even if he's only employing a stalling tactic, Markosek is right about needing more time to evaluate a potential Turnpike lease than Rendell's mid-June deadline would provide.

And Rendell must realize that unless he makes public a wealth of pertinent information about all parties who submit bids and allows adequate time to review that information, he's going to have a harder time convincing lawmakers and their constituents that leasing is the way to go -- especially if foreign firms are among the bidders.

If the Turnpike as we know it survives, don't be surprised if someday, there are signs marking the Monroeville exit as the "Markosek Interchange." As House Transportation Committee chairman, he has at least as much power over the Turnpike's future as anyone -- and even more, perhaps, than the governor does.