Two transportation groups have spoken out against tolling nine Pennsylvania bridges, including the ones that connect Carbon and Luzerne counties on Interstate 80.

The Associated Pennsylvania Constructors Executive Vice President Robert Latham told the House Transportation Committee Wednesday that the cost of private financing would drive up project costs.

Latham also said relying on tolling to cover construction costs is risky.

The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association also opposes the proposed tolls.

“PMTA believes that the trucking industry already pays its fair share to operate on the roadways in this state and adamantly opposes this decision from PennDOT and the P3 Board,” the organization says on its website.

In a letter sent March 15 to the Senate Transportation Committee, the association said, “The trucking industry is already one of the most highly regulated in the country. It is also one of the most difficult to stay profitable in due to constantly increasing costs.”

The letter continued, “For the trucking industry, tolling is a tax that cannot be passed on to customers. It further cuts into companies’ already thin profit margins and jeopardizes the viability of this critical industry in our state.

“Pennsylvania’s 37,440 trucking companies are integral to the state’s economy, employing one in 16 workers directly, with many more jobs indirectly linked to transportation. Manufacturing, agriculture, warehousing, distribution, and consumer goods depend on trucking, even more as e-commerce continues to grow. Making Pennsylvania’s trucking companies less competitive will impact all the industries that depend on them, with ripple effects across regional economies and the state at large.”

Legislation

Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian said she expects the projects to be financed with lower-cost municipal bonds under a federal program. In addition, financing the reconstruction projects isn’t as risky as financing a new bridge project because studies show that the bridges have stable daily traffic flows.

Meanwhile, the Senate is advancing legislation to require the Legislature’s approval of any proposed transportation project with a user fee.

Gramian has said the tolls are necessary because the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has less than half the cash it needs to keep Pennsylvania’s highways and bridges in good condition and ease major traffic bottlenecks. Borrowing the money against existing revenue would take money away from other construction projects, she has said.

Toll hearing

A hearing will be held April 1 in Clarion County to hear from those who would be most impacted by the bridge tolling proposal.

The hearing, titled “Local Voices: Examining PennDOT’s P3 Major Bridge Tolling Proposals” will feature federal, state and local elected officials, who will receive testimony from stakeholders and the local community who have concerns with PennDOT’s proposal.

“While PennDOT has a process for public comment, I believe it is imperative that the Secretary hear firsthand the concerns of the local community,” said U.S. Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15, who is hosting the hearing. “It will be a good opportunity for PennDOT to make their case as to why a further tax burden should be placed upon Pennsylvanians, who already pay the second highest gas tax in the country.”

Thompson met last week with Gramian and representatives from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office to answer questions regarding PennDOT’s proposal.

On Nov. 12, the Pennsylvania Public-Private Partnership board approved the Major Bridge initiative, which allows PennDOT to use the P3 delivery model for major bridges in need of rehabilitation or replacement, and to consider bridge tolling.

Local lawmakers have joined state Republicans in soliciting views on PennDOT’s bridge toll proposal. A “Stop the Tolls” petition is active on the Republican site.

State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, said he believes the tolling of I-80 and any bridges is unnecessary, and would affect commuters and would curb the ability to attract jobs.

State Sen. Jack Rader, R-Monroe, noted that the gas tax was previously raised to cover future needs for construction.

State Sen. John Yudichak, I-Carbon/Luzerne, said that while investing in infrastructure is the right thing to do, he has concerns about the proposal.

He calls on the U.S. Congress to deliver a transportation funding bill.

Carbon County commissioners have also voiced opposition.

The PennDOT project

The I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project would replace both east and westbound spans. Built in 1965, the bridges cross over the Lehigh River, Lehigh Gorge State Park, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad and River Road in Carbon and Luzerne counties.

They carry an average of 27,400 vehicles per day, with 44% truck traffic.

The spans are beyond repair and need to be replaced. The new bridges would be wider; the length of the eastbound on-ramp auxiliary lane would be increased, as would the height of the bridges’ barriers and the width of the shoulders.

The project would begin between 2023 and 2025, and take two or three years, according to PennDOT.

The department is studying how the tolls may impact local communities, and how alternate routes to avoid the toll may affect local traffic and roadways.

PennDOT expects to present its findings in the spring, and will hold either a virtual or in-person public meeting to discuss them and give people a chance to comment.

The department will also share project details, including engineering design, environmental impacts, construction schedule, maintenance and protection of traffic during construction and access to Lehigh Gorge State Park and boat launches in the park.

The Associated Press and Marta Gouger contributed to this report.