Feb. 19, 2021
HARRISBURG – Rep. Matthew Dowling (R-Fayette/Somerset) issued the following statement opposing a proposal by the Wolf administration to charge tolls for the use of nine bridges across the Commonwealth, including one on Interstate 79 in Allegheny County.
“A reliable, efficient and well-maintained transportation system is vital to our Commonwealth’s economy and our future. We need to be having serious conversations about how to finance much-needed bridge and highway improvements in every area of the state. Tolling a few random bridges is not the kind of comprehensive solution we need.
“The administration is attempting to sell its plan by saying the tolls will be used to rebuild, revamp, repair or maintain the bridges being tolled. That’s what turnpike drivers were told too, and now our skyrocketing tolls are used for things like subsidizing mass transit in the City of Philadelphia.
“And while officials claim the tolls would be ‘only’ a dollar or two, consider a worker who crosses a bridge two times day for work. That’s 10 trips a week and 520 trips a year. It adds up at a time when many Pennsylvanians don’t have money to spare. I cannot fathom why the governor would want to add this burden on top of his proposals to increase income taxes, increase debt and increase energy costs.”
Representative Matthew Dowling
51st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives