State Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, said he is opposed to a proposal from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to toll several bridges to raise money to fix or replace them.

Through its Pathways Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership program, PennDOT proposed charging tolls on the I-80 Canoe Creek Bridges over State Route 4005 (Tippecanoe Road) and Canoe Creek in Clarion County, the I-80 North Fork Bridges in Jefferson County, the I-80 Nescopeck Creek Bridges in Luzerne County, the I-80 bridges over the Lehigh River in Luzerne and Carbon counties, the I-79 bridges in Bridgeville in Allegheny County, the I-81 bridge over the Susquehanna River in Susquehanna County and the I-78 Lenhartsville Bridge in Berks County.

To support PennDOT Pathways, an alternative funding study is underway to identify near- and long-term funding solutions for the transportation system. One of the early findings of the study is that tolling of major bridges in need of replacement or rehabilitation appears to be a viable near-term solution.

PennDOT said it can use the tolling program to leverage private investment to rebuild critical bridges during a period with historically low interest rates and a favorable labor market. The program can provide a dedicated source of revenue for those infrastructure improvements and could create significant savings over the life of the program, while ensuring the vitality of the state's transportation system and economy, according to PennDOT.

The toll would be $1 to $2 for passenger vehicles, and commercial vehicles would pay a higher toll based on number of axles, Hutchinson said.

“Let's be clear, this is nothing more than another proposal by the governor to raise taxes without legislative approval. It is not enough that Pennsylvania motorists already pay the second-highest gas tax in the nation. That money is intended to pay for the projects that PennDOT claims requires this additional fee.

“The money raised by the local bridge tax would supposedly pay for their replacement. The fact is this project has been on the books for some time, well before P3 Board was created,” Hutchinson said. “It has progressed through the review and approval process and should commence without the need to impose a new user fee.”

He recalled the state's previous attempt to toll I-80.

“This essentially represents a backhanded attempt to toll Interstate 80, a proposal by the Rendell Administration some years ago that was ultimately rejected by the federal government,” Hutchinson said.

He said the tolls would create a burden for residents of the mostly rural areas where the tolls would be charged.

“This is nothing more than a backdoor tax increase on rural Pennsylvania. Two-thirds of the tolling sites are in rural areas, where many of the local residents rely on these interstate highways to hold down a job or shop for basic necessities. “They don't have the luxury of finding alternative routes to avoid the tolls,” he said.