"It would not be in the best interest of Pennsylvania to give up such a valuable asset for 75 years for an upfront amount of cash that would not last a third of that," Markosek said Saturday.

Markosek was in North Versailles Township for the ribbon-cutting at Logan Middle School. He represents part of North Versailles and Wall, both part of the East Allegheny School District.

He said members of his committee were ready to vote down the proposed lease before the General Assembly went home for the summer, but were asked not to do so by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Since then, the Citi-Abertis consortium, also called Pennsylvania Transportation Partners, extended its lease offer until Sept. 30.

"Momentum clearly favors the lease," Abertis managing director Jordi Graells said last month. "The proposed (Interstate 80) tolling initiative under (state) Act 44 only shifts funds around the commonwealth.

"The lease is the only plan that would infuse the commonwealth's aging transportation infrastructure with desperately needed new investment, rather than new tolls and larger toll increases."

Markosek said he's using his prerogative as chairman to keep that bill in committee, but said he hasn't heard of any support for the lease in his 25th Legislative District.

"I have personally not had any indication of support of that from my constituents or from people in Southwestern Pennsylvania," Markosek said.