PA House approves measure that would stop bridge tolling
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a measure this week that would potentially stop the tolling of the Interstate 79 bridge at the Bridgeville exchange, along with the eight other bridges on interstate highways in Pennsylvania.
Approved by a 125-74 vote, it would give the Legislature say-so in any project hatched by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) that involves a user fee, and also gives the General Assembly the option of saying no to a project even if it does not involve a user fee.
Efforts to stop the tolling of the I-79 bridge gathered steam last week when South Fayette and Collier townships, along with Bridgeville borough, filed suit in Commonwealth Court to stop the project. State Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Cecil, in whose district the bridge is located, said the lawsuit will continue despite the approval of this bill in the House and a similar measure in the Senate earlier this year. The House bill will go to the Senate, and once a final measure is crafted, it is widely expected that Gov. Tom Wolf will veto it, “which is why I pushed the lawsuit,” Ortitay explained.
Ortitay also said he has been talking with House colleagues, “and there are other municipalities who are or will be in contact with South Fayette Township to join the lawsuit. These would be municipalities where other tolls are proposed to be.”
If the I-79 bridge and the other bridges in Pennsylvania are tolled, it would be part of a public-private partnership that would have private contractors handling the refurbishment of each bridge, with tolls covering the costs. PennDOT has contended that it is necessary to find other revenue sources like tolling because the gasoline tax is no longer sufficient to handle the state’s transportation needs.
Beth Rementer, a spokeswoman for the governor, told PennLive that the measure approved by the House would add “unnecessary bureaucracy” to the process.
“Not only does it undercut the benefits of public-private partnerships, but it also politicizes a process designed to foster innovation and efficient public-private collaboration,” Rementer said.
PennDOT has not yet said it is formally going ahead with the tolling of the I-79 bridge, nor has it set a price for the tolls, though $1 or $2 per trip has been mentioned. In their suit, South Fayette, Collier and Bridgeville argue that tolling the bridge would dampen economic development and flood already-clogged local streets and roads with drivers trying to avoid the tolls.
All of the Republicans in the House voted for the bill, as well as 14 House Democrats.