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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County expressing the sense of Council regarding proposed tolling of bridges, specifically along Interstate 79 insofar as such tolling will impact traffic and quality of life in the South Fayette Township, PA area.
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WHEREAS, it is estimated that the Interstate 79 (I-79) corridor carries 87,000 vehicles every day; and
WHEREAS, a proposal by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) would levy a toll of $1 or $2 when motorists cross the twin bridges on I-79 near the Bridgeville exit; and
WHEREAS, the proposed tolls would be collected in order to pay for the replacement of the northbound and southbound bridges that were first put in place 56 years ago and were last rehabilitated in 1998, as well as widening I-79 in that area; and
WHEREAS, the proposed work on I-79 is part of PennDOT’s Pathways Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership Initiative, which envisions private entities handling the design, construction and maintenance of major bridges across the commonwealth, with tolls paying for the costs of construction, maintenance, operations and toll collections; and
WHEREAS, the bridge on I-79 is in South Fayette Township, and township spokeswoman Andrea Iglar released a statement saying the township opposes tolling it because “it would hamper much-desired commercial development in the area…South Fayette businesses and residents value our convenient highway access, and implementing a new toll would be a step backward.” ; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania State Senator Devlin Robinson has indicated that he is concerned that if the bridge is tolled, drivers would seek alternate routes and overburden other roads and bridges in the process, potentially to the point that it may create safety issues for drivers and first responders, also noting that “[a]s one of the fastest developing areas in Allegheny County and Southwest Pennsylvania, this proposal would have catastrophic effects on the current and future b...
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