Bridgeville Borough is officially opposed to PennDOT’s plan to collect tolls from drivers using the I-79 interchange in South Fayette.
Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt a resolution stating its opposition.
“Incidentally,” said council president William Henderson, “there appears to be support from our neighboring communities to pass a group resolution opposing that toll.”
Shortly after PennDOT announced the proposal last month, it was greeted with resounding disdain from local residents and officials, along with some leaders in Harrisburg. State Representative Jason Ortitay and State Senator Devlin Robinson, who both represent Bridgeville, railed against the plan at a press conference in late February.
“It’s a reckless proposal that does not take into account the reality of the situation in this area,” Ortitay said.
The $150 million project would replace the I-79 bridge the spans Route 50 in South Fayette and allow PennDOT to begin collecting tolls from drivers going north and south. Cash-strapped PennDOT wants to start collected tolls at nine new locations across the state. The South Fayette-Bridgeville location is the only one slated for Allgeheny County.
Residents can share their thoughts with PennDOT via email or by using the comment form on the web page outlining the project.
In related news, PennDOT argued yesterday the Australians have it all wrong, and Pennsylvania’s toll roads are not the most expensive in the world (as long as you use EZ Pass).
In never-ending news, municipalities across Pennsylvania continue to disband their police departments to save local tax dollars, relying instead on “free” service from the state police. To pay for those additional state police patrols, Harrisburg diverts billions of dollars from a fund that would otherwise go to PennDOT for road and bridge repairs.