HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- Last month the Swatara Township Board of Commissioners passed a resolution opposing the I-83 toll bridge project. Commissioner Shaela Ellis says board members have several concerns.
"We have many residents who travel across the bridge every day to go to work," said Ellis, "That is an unfair burden that they should not have to take on." Ellis says the board fears traffic congestion would take place because people will come through other communities to avoid having to pay a toll.
Dauphin County Commissioners are also against the project. Commissioner George Hartwick says they sent a letter to PennDOT at the end of the year expressing their concerns. "Once those tolls go up, they will remain," said Hartwick, "I think they will be around to help fund other projects in the region." Hartwick says they met with state officials to discuss other funding options.
PennDOT issued a statement in response to the resolution:
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"Pennsylvania hassignificant needs on its transportation network, with a current annual gap of $8.1 billion for highways and bridges. We've known and discussed these challenges for some time. We rely heavily on unreliable gas tax revenues for our highways and bridges and we're currently seeing $10 million to $15 million less in revenue each month. This will only grow as more electric vehivles come to market and fuel efficiency continues increasing. The Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (MBP3) initiative was a solution to address some critical bridges across the state, including the I-83 bridge. In November of 2020, PennDOT received approval from the P3 board to implement bridge tolling throughout the state through the MBP3 initiative. This board includes representatives appointed by all four legislative caucuses. Bridge tolling is designed to raise revenue in the next two to four years in order to address the state's growing backlog of major bridge replacement and rehabilitation needs...This initiative can provide a dedicated source of revenue for these infrastructure improvements and could create significant savings over the life of the program while ensuring the vitality of the state's transportation system and economy."
PennDOT
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