Several bridges in Pennsylvania could soon be implementing tolling, including one in Bridgeville on I-79.
The suggestion from PennDOT comes after a new program was approved to accelerate reconstruction and rehabilitation of bridges across the Keystone State, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via WPXI.
The initial proposal to add tolling to some Pennsylvania bridges was made in November 2020.
On Thursday (February 18), PennDOT revealed which nine bridges would be among the suggestions to add tolling in order to help with transportation funding in Pennsylvania in a news release obtained by WPXI.
PennDOT officials said the new tolling program would be "a viable near-term solution" and the bridges being considered would all be fairly large, requiring "significant funds to rehabilitate or replace."
PennDOT officials said the following bridges were chosen based on their ability to undergo successful construction within the next two to four years:
- I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge Replacement Project (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 (Luzerne County)
- I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project (Luzerne, 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 said proposed tolls would all be paid electronically either through E-ZPass or license plate billing. The money collected through toll fare will be used strictly for construction, maintenance and operation of the bridge where the transaction was made.
Pennsylvania currently has a $6.9 billion annual budget for highway and bridge maintenance, which is less than half of the amount needed to keep roads and bridges in good condition.
The proposal will be analyzed during the next year before any official decisions are made.
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