‘Dangerous road’: Pa. lawmaker wants to slow down plan to add tolls on bridges – By Jan Murphy (Pennlive) / Mar 11 2021
A lawmaker wants to apply the brakes to a proposal to toll nine bridges across the state – including the South Bridge in Harrisburg – and come up with a broader plan for financing Pennsylvania’s transportation needs.
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County, has introduced legislation that would limit the powers of the independent public-private partnership board that authorized the bridge tolling plan.
His bill would require legislative approval of any projects that the P3 transportation board, as it is called, considers that involves a user fee. PennDOT strongly opposes the bill.
Langerholc said at this point, he is opposed to the concept of tolling the bridges. He sees his bill as necessary because if this bridge tolling concept were to advance, it could set a precedent for other projects that impose a tax or fee on Pennsylvanians.
“We’re going down a very dangerous road,” Langerholc said.
