Interstate-95′s mile-long double-decked Girard Point Bridge in Philadelphia is seen in this February file photo. A state court on Thursday permanently blocked Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to toll as many as nine major bridges on interstates in Pennsylvania, including this one.
AP file photo
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HARRISBURG — A state court on Thursday permanently blocked Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to toll as many as nine major bridges on interstates in Pennsylvania, including here in Luzerne County.
The ruling sided with three Pittsburgh-area municipalities that argued Wolf’s administration had violated procedures in getting to the advanced stage of considering the idea.
A panel of Commonwealth Court judges granted the municipalities’ request to effectively declare the plan dead because Wolf’s Department of Transportation had not followed the law.
One key element on which the court agreed with the municipalities is the claim that PennDOT was required to propose specific bridges to toll when it asked the Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board in 2020 for permission to move forward with a bridge-tolling plan. It did not.
As a result, parties potentially affected by a tolling project — such as a municipality — had no opportunity to meaningfully give input to the process before the board’s decision, the court said.
A Commonwealth Court judge in a separate case in May had imposed a temporary injunction on the tolling projects.
Wolf’s push for tolling comes as states increasingly look to user fees to make up for declining gas tax revenue that is not keeping up with the demands of fixing highways and bridges.
It also comes amid rising gas prices and spurred opposition from some communities and Republican lawmakers. Wolf himself only has eight months left in office, and neither of his potential successors in November’s election support it.
Sen. Baker comments
State Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, who opposed the plan, hailed the decision as a major victory for those who have expressed serious concerns with the impact that the bridge tolls would have on local communities. The tolling plan had included a nine-mile stretch along Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County, and the Nescopeck Creek bridges on Interstate 80 in Luzerne County.
“Today’s decision is a win for motorists and communities across our region,” Baker said. “Without question, rising gasoline prices and inflation are serious concerns for every household as they claim a bigger piece of the family budget. I would like to thank the many area residents and business owners who took the time over the last year to express their concerns about the additional costs the plan would impose, as well as the traffic delays and difficulties that would arise from people choosing to divert to a local road network to avoid tolls.”
Baker has spoken out repeatedly against “the unauthorized overreach by PennDOT” and supported Senate Bill 382 to make the P3 (Public-Private Partnership) process more transparent.
The Senate Transportation Committee has also held several hearings throughout the state, to better understand how PennDOT was authorized to move forward without approval from the General Assembly.
Affected bridges
Baker said this order voids the entire Major Bridge P3 Initiative, including the following bridges:
I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge Replacement Project in Berks County.
I-79 Widening, Bridges and Bridgeville Interchange Reconfiguration in Allegheny County.
I-80 Canoe Creek Bridges in Clarion County.
I-80 Nescopeck Creek Bridges in Luzerne County.
I-80 North Fork Bridges Project in Jefferson County.
I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project in Luzerne and Carbon counties.
I-81 Susquehanna Project in Susquehanna County.
I-83 South Bridge Project in Dauphin County.
I-95 Girard Point Improvement Bridge Project in Philadelphia County.