Mar 19, 2021 2 min read

State Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Cecil, is among three representatives who have introduced a measure that would prevent the tolling of bridges in Pennsylvania unless first approved by the Legislature.

Ortitay has introduced the bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives along with Rep. Andrew Lewis, a Republican of Dauphin County, and Rep. Sheryl Delozier, a Republican from Lower Allen.

Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation laid out plans to toll nine interstate bridges in the commonwealth, including the Interstate 79 bridge at the Bridgeville exit.

If it comes to fruition, rehabilitation work on the bridge, and the widening of nearby lanes on I-79, would be carried out by private sector contractors and paid for through the tolls. Proponents of the plan say it is necessary because the gas tax no longer provides enough revenue to support road maintenance and construction across the commonwealth.

In a news release, Ortitay said the tolling plan is “very suspect and appears to have been timed to prevent legislative input.”

He also said the amount of fees that would be collected through the tolls would be “well in excess of the amount needed for a project.”

The I-79 bridge is in South Fayette Township, in Ortitay’s legislative district.

The bill would also give the General Assembly veto power over any public-private partnership that uses state property. A bill introduced in the state Senate earlier this month by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, would also require that the Legislature approve any transportation projects that would involve a user fee.