ALLEGHENY – According to State Sen. Devlin Robinson, (R-37), the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court today ruled in favor of halting the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) bridge tolling plan.
The ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed in November by local communities against PennDOT to halt its plans to include the I-79 bridge near the Bridgeville exit on its list of nine bridges throughout the Commonwealth that will be tolled under the public-private partnership (P3) bridge program. Today’s decision comes on the heels of the Commonwealth Court’s ruling last month to grant a preliminary injunction, which halted Gov. Tom Wolf’s Major Bridge P3 Initiative until further court action occurred.
“I am thrilled to see the Court, once again, take action to rule in favor of Pennsylvania taxpayers and stop this egregious proposal,” said Robinson. “From the beginning, I was determined to assist these local communities in fighting back against this toll, which is nothing but a tax and financial burden. I commend the local leaders in Bridgeville Borough and Collier and South Fayette townships for their hard work and I am pleased to see the Court restore proper checks and balances on PennDOT’s overreaching power.”
Robinson has been an opponent of the tolling plan, which PennDOT authorized without providing details or seeking approval from the General Assembly. He co-sponsored Senate Bill 382, which reforms the P3 statute and voids the PennDOT tolling plan. According to Act 88 of 2012, the board must assess each project’s scope, framework and potential impact on citizens and complete a cost/benefit analysis prior to approval. In November 2021, the three municipalities filed suit.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Weitzel