HARRISBURG, Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell says the state could begin accepting bids to privatize the Pennsylvania Turnpike before year end.

The goal of the privatization is to eventually generate millions of dollars for road and bridge repairs and mass transit.

Earlier this month, the state received paperwork from companies interested in taking over operation and management of the 67-year-old highway. A total of 14 companies submitted qualifications to the state Department of Transportation.

PennDOT officials have begun evaluating the applications.

"I've been pleased to see that so many applications came in," Rendell said. "PennDOT is now going through the process of qualifying the bidders. And the 14 will be whittled down. Hopefully, around the holidays or before, we'll start getting bids."

Rendell resurrected his idea of privatizing the turnpike last summer, after a law authorizing tolls on Interstate 80 ran into roadblocks in Congress and among state legislators in Harrisburg.

Legislation has been introduced in Harrisburg that would repeal the tolls.

Last month, Rendell said hed sign such a bill as long as lawmakers came up with an alternative to the $900 million that would be generated by I-80 tolls. Rendell has also said he wants the state to get at least $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion a year out of any long-term lease of the turnpike.

Among the companies that submitted their qualifications were Australia-based Macquarie Infrastructure Partners and Spain's Cintra, which jointly operate the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road.

Rendell needs state General Assembly approval to enter into any lease deal.

Eleven months ago, a bipartisan state commission recommended an annual investment of $1.7 billion a year to meet transportation needs for the Keystone state.

Even at that level, the commission projected it would take 17 years to cut the percentage of structurally deficient bridges in Pennsylvania from 24 percent to the national average of approximately 11 percent.

Pennsylvania has more than 6,000 structurally deficient bridges, the most of any state in the nation, and nearly 9,000 miles of highways in poor condition.

PennDOT estimates the cost of repairing all of the structurally deficient bridges on the state system at approximately $11 billion.