Tolls might be ahead for 9 bridges, including one on I-78
PennDOT says the fares would help pay for $2.2B in repairs
PennDOT officials formally unveiled plans to add tolls to nine interstate bridges across the state Thursday, including reconstructing a bridge on Interstate 78 near the Lenhartsville interchange in Berks County.
The nine targeted bridges are expected to cost a combined $2.2 billion in the years ahead. By funding the construction with tolling, PennDOT hopes to free other funds to invest in state and local infrastructure needs.
The proposed toll just 8 miles west of the Lehigh County border shouldn’t effect too many Lehigh Valley residents. Census data reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission shows most residents of Lehigh and Northampton counties work in the region or commute to Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey. However, it may be unwelcome for the 12,500 Berks County residents who commuted into the Lehigh Valley before the pandemic.
It may also increase the price for Lehigh Valley residents to get to popular destinations such as Cabela’s and Hawk Mountain.
Kenneth McClain, director of PennDOT’s Alternative Funding Program, said Thursday the state limited the initial tolls to old bridges in need of repairs or replacement on the interstate system. Pennsylvania’s interstate highways carry about 25% of the state’s traffic, and federal rules already allow the state to add tolls to pay for bridge repairs.
Under the plan, the state would contract with private companies to fix the bridges and maintain them for 30 years. The construction would include adding electronic tolls, which would allow the state to charge
fees for using the bridge without stopping or slowing down traffic. Motorists would pay the toll with an E-ZPass transponder or receive a bill in the mail; rates would be lower for E-ZPass users.
The Lenhartsville bridge is a small piece of the larger picture. The span over Maiden Creek near the Lenhartsville interchange carries 51,080 vehicles a day, 30% of which are tractor-trailers, PennDOT District 5 acting Executive Director Chris Kufro said. He said construction and tolling for the project, expected to cost up to $50 million, wouldn’t begin until 2023.
Other bridges being targeted include the Girard Point Bridge in Philadelphia and four spans on Interstate 80 — including two in Luzerne County. McClain said officials are still analyzing traffic patterns on the bridges over the Lehigh River and the Nescopeck Creek and may set tolling so travelers won’t hit both on the same trip. For example, the bridges might toll traffic heading in opposite directions.
Tolls on each of the nine bridges would be used to pay off their own construction costs. Once the project is paid off, toll money would be reinvested into the surrounding community’s infrastructure, McClain said.
PennDOT has advised drivers and lawmakers for months that it is considering tolls, congestion taxes and other fees as a way to plug an annual $8.1 billion shortfall of its transportation needs. Even though Pennsylvania raised its gas tax in 2013, government officials have known for years the boost would not plug the transportation funding gap.
The state’s financial picture has grown worse during the pandemic as people traveled less, lowering gas tax revenue. Experts fear another drop in funds as auto manufacturers shift their focus to electric vehicles. General Motors announced last month it plans offer a completely electric fleet by 2035, and other companies have made similar commitments to cleaner energy vehicles.
PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian told state senators last month that she intended to propose tolls for major interstate bridges across the state already scheduled for construction. No such plans existed in the Lehigh Valley, making it unlikely the region would be hit with tolls.
Still, the announcement is only the first phase of what could become an extended tolling or fee program. With gas taxes failing to cover expenses, state and federal officials have considered other options such as additional tolls or a vehicle miles traveled tax, which charges motorists for every mile they travel in their cars. Highways other than interstates could eventually be considered for tolling, but those are years away at least.
“We have no plans to toll [Route] 22,” said McClain, a Lehigh County resident. “We are really concentrating on the interstate system right now.”
PennDOT will schedule sessions this year where members of the public can comment on the individual bridge toll proposals. In the meantime, people can submit feedback on the PennDOT website.