Thousands Sign Petition Against PennDOT Plan To Toll Pgh. Bridge

BRIDGEVILLE, PA — As PennDOT advances plans to toll nine bridges across the state, an online petition opposing one of them near Pittsburgh has obtained nearly 7,000 signatures as of Friday morning.

The petition specifically references a bridge near the I-79 Bridgeville exit, but could be an indication of overall public dissatisfaction with PennDOT's plans.

"Countless hard working Pennsylvanians drive up and down I-79 daily, already burdened by the 2nd highest gas tax in the country, implemented by PennDOT to pay for the roads," the petition states.

"Now PennDOT wants to add another tax. Tell Harrisburg bureaucrats that we pay their salary and we refuse this new toll on I-79 that will hurt working class people just trying to put food on the table for their family."

As gas prices soar to near-record levels in the state, PennDOT is continuing plans to charge as much as $2 per trip across the nine spans to pay for their rehabilitation or replacement.

The tolls would help pay for the following projects:

• I-79 Widening, Bridges and Bridgeville Interchange Reconfiguration (Allegheny County)
• I-95 Girard Point Bridge Improvement Project (Philadelphia County)
• I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge Replacement (Berks 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)

The tolling, expected to go into effect in 2023, would be collected via E-Z Pass or license plate billing. The money collected would be used to pay the private contractors to repair and maintain the bridges for as long as 30 years.

In addition to the petition, three Pittsburgh-area municipalites - Bridgeville, South Fayette and Collier -have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the I-79 bridge tolling plan.