PennDOT Proposes Tolling Nine Pennsylvania Bridges

Pittsburgh PA

19 February, 2021

11:26 AM

Description

PENNSYLVANIA — PennDOT is considering a plan to charge tolls on nine bridges across the state to help pay for their replacement or rehabilitation. Toll monies would be used for construction, maintenance and operation of the bridge where the toll is collected. The tolling, which could go into effect in 2023, would be collected via E-Z Pass or license plate billing. It would enable PennDOT to rehab or replace the structurally deficient spans without taking money away from other needed road projects across the state. PennDOT's current highway and bridge budget for construction and maintenance is about $6.9 billion per year – less than half of the $15 billion the agency says is needed to properly maintain highways and bridges and address significant bottlenecks on roads. "Our reliance on funding models from the last century leaves us especially vulnerable to fund losses stemming from volatile economic conditions and the increasing transition to alternative-fuel or electric vehicles," PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a release. "This initiative will help us make much-needed improvements without compromising the routine projects our communities and industry partners rely on." The tolls would help pay for the following projects: I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge Replacement (Berks County) I-79 Widening, Bridges and Bridgeville Interchange Reconfiguration (Allegheny County) I-80 Canoe Creek Bridges (Clarion County) I-80 Nescopeck Creek Bridges (Luzerne County) I-80 North Fork Bridges Project (Jefferson County) I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project (Luzerne and Carbon counties) I-81 Susquehanna Project (Susquehanna County) I-83 South Bridge Project (Dauphin County) I-95 Girard Point Bridge Improvement Project (Philadelphia County)PennDOT has not disclosed how much the tolls would be, but they would be used to pay private contractors to repair and maintain bridges for as long as 30 years. PennDOT plans to hold public meetings on the proposal before taking formal action on it.