1000+ sign petition opposed to I-79 bridge tolls

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — A petition launched in opposition of the proposed tolls on the I-79 bridge has so far garnered more than 1,000 signatures.

“Tell Harrisburg Bureaucrats that WE pay their salary and we refuse this new toll on I79,” the petition reads.

PennDOT has proposed tolling the bridge, along with eight others across the commonwealth as part of the “Major Bridge P3 Project.”

The revenue, according to the department, would go towards repairing and improving the bridges.

In regard to I-79, PennDOT has stated it plans to widen the interstate through Bridgeville and make traffic improvements. Toll rates would likely be between $1 to $2 and would “pay for the project and ensure PennDOT can use its other resources on other local projects. Otherwise, to make this project happen, PennDOT would have to pull the project costs from other highway and bridge needs,” the department previously said.

But for months, many have been outspoken in their opposition to the tolls. In February, we covered a rally against the proposal, uniting state lawmakers and local business owners.

This month, we told you the South Fayette Manager testified in Harrisburg about the project, expressing concerns. 

Pete Linko, of Washington County, fears the plan is still moving forward, and thus decided to launch the petition.

“These are government agencies that are funded by our tax dollars and they’re not listening to the people who fund their salaries, who fund projects like this,” Linko said.

Linko believes tolling the bridge would be an economic hardship for commuters and would hurt nearby businesses by discouraging patrons to cross the bridge.  He also believes commuters would ultimately try to avoid the tolls, sending traffic through surrounding neighborhoods, impacting the infrastructure.

Channel 11 reached out to PennDOT, with a spokesperson stating “no final decision” has been made regarding any of the nine proposed bridges.

The statement claims public input is “critical” to any project, particularly one involving a toll.

“Public meetings for all candidate bridges will be held beginning this fall, and we are accepting public comment on our website here: www.PennDOT.gov/I79Bridgeville. PennDOT has held technical meetings with community stakeholders for each bridge location related to diversion routes, which were are data-driven, technical in nature and are designed to collect feedback to either validate planning and design considerations and assumptions based on preliminary data and analysis or identify the need for their re-evaluation. Diversion workshop feedback will also help inform public meetings, and disproportionate financial impacts to low-income Pennsylvanians will be mitigated and those mitigation strategies will be presented at the upcoming public meetings for each bridge.”

Staffing is a ‘concern’ for PennDOT as we approach snow season

©2021 Cox Media Group