Pennsylvania lawmakers want to bring proposed state tolling issue to Transportation Secretary

U.S. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), and John Joyce (R-PA) recently requested an in-person meeting with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss Pennsylvania’s plans to toll bridges throughout the Commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (P3) Initiative aims to establish tolls along nine bridges across the state. The Pennsylvania P3 Board, which approved the initiative in November 2020, plans to pursue tolling these public assets through engaging with private multinational concessionaires, which the lawmakers said would “place an undue burden upon the traveling public and create a number of safety issues for local municipalities due to diversion,” according to their Jan. 25 letter sent to Buttigieg. 

“While there is no doubt that Pennsylvania requires a reliable funding mechanism to maintain and replace existing infrastructure, this plan remains wildly unpopular with the public, transportation industry stakeholders, and the very legislative body that authorized the creation of the P3 Board,” wrote the representatives.

In November 2021, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a measure requiring legislative approval of specific proposals to add tolls. The bill would require PennDOT to publicly advertise toll proposals, take public comment, and seek approval from both the governor and the legislature, according to their letter. 

“Unfortunately, PennDOT has not conducted themselves in a manner that meets the minimum expectation of public engagement, and we remain concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the tolling proposals,” the members wrote.

Reps. Thompson, Joyce, Reschenthaler, and their colleagues also pointed out that Pennsylvania is expected to receive more than $18 billion from the recent federal infrastructure package, including $1.6 billion for bridge replacements. “With these windfalls, we believe PennDOT should exhaust all funding options prior to planning a tax on the traveling public,” wrote the lawmakers.

They also noted that PennDOT and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have indicated interest in seeking federal financing to move ahead with these projects, prompting their request for a meeting.

“It was announced last week that Pennsylvania is scheduled to receive more than $1.6 billion to fix more than 3,000 bridges, presenting a windfall for PennDOT,” said Rep. Thompson. “Yet, PennDOT remains hellbent on tolling bridges, despite concerns over the safety and economics of their plan. Now is certainly not the time to create new problems for the Commonwealth.”