No to tolling bridges
The state Legislature may not be able to stop the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s plan to toll the nine interstate highway bridges in the state, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers and the governor shouldn’t attempt to find a better way to fund much-needed road and bridge maintenance.
Last month, the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a bill that would require legislative approval for any plans to toll roads and bridges in the state. It’s a direct response to PennDOT’s announcement in February that it would begin tolling those nine bridges through authority granted by the Legislature in 2012 when it created the Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board.
Republicans maintain it was never the intent to give the partnership board such power and that imposing tolls should be a matter involving legislative input. Democrats counter that the bridge initiative falls within the scope of the 2012 law and that the funds are needed to prevent a major catastrophe if bridges aren’t adequately maintained.
The bill passed the Senate by a 28-19 vote with all Republicans and one Democrat supporting it, but the chances of it becoming law are slim. It may be approved in the Republican-controlled House, but Gov. Tom Wolf opposes it, and there aren’t enough votes for a veto override.
So, the issue remains: how to fund road and bridge maintenance without continually passing the cost along to the traveling public and the trucking industry.
One of the bridges proposed for tolling starting in 2023 is the Interstate 79 bridge near the Bridgeville exit. Local officials in the communities near the bridge oppose such a plan for fear it would cause some travelers to exit the highway and use local roads as alternate routes. That would create additional traffic in the communities and cause added wear and tear on the local roads.
And the cost to travelers, though still in the planning stages, could be $1 to $2 for passenger vehicles and more for tractortrailers and large trucks. For a commuter traveling the road twice a day, that’s anywhere from $40 to $80 a month in added fees and much more for truckers.
Mr. Wolf already has proposed phasing out Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax, the second-highest in the nation and a major source of highway funding.
He has appointed a commission to recommend alternatives for meeting the state’s highway needs.
Rather than relying on tolls (existing or new), the governor and lawmakers need to find other means.
Given President Joe Biden’s commitment to infrastructure improvements nationwide, this would be an ideal time to craft a plan that brings in more federal funding for roads and bridges. And no ideas should be off the table in the search for other revenue sources.
In the meantime, tolling bridges throughout the state is not the an