Commonwealth Court Blocks PennDOT Plan To Toll Certain Bridges | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

CBS Pittsburgh

A state court on Thursday permanently blocked Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to toll as many as nine major bridges on interstates in Pennsylvania, siding with three Pittsburgh-area municipalities that argued that his administration had violated procedures in getting to the advanced stage of considering the idea.

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.

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.

Source: Commonwealth Court Blocks PennDOT Plan To Toll Certain Bridges | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

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