Petition Launched Against Proposed I-79 Bridge Tolls

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – 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 I-79,” 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. Our news partners at 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.