Oct 26, 2021 3 min read

A Cross Creek Township resident has gathered more than 2,000 signatures on an online petition opposing the proposed tolling of the bridge on Interstate 79 at the Bridgeville interchange.

Peter Linko, a 26-year-old who works for United Parcel Service, said he decided to launch the petition on the site Change.org after reading a story in the Observer-Reporter about the proposal by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to toll the bridge in both the northbound and southbound lanes to pay for its restoration and widen the interstate in that area. It is one of nine interstate bridges PennDOT is considering tolling across the commonwealth.

“I know there are people trying to stop it, but we need to speak up and get our voices heard,” Linko said.

The proposal to toll the bridge, which is located in South Fayette Township, has run into a wall of unyielding opposition from elected officials, business owners and residents who live near the interchange, and commuters who drive on the interstate. They say it would stifle economic growth, place additional burdens on nearby roads that are already overtaxed and drain the pocketbooks of working people who have no other option but to travel on I-79. PennDOT has countered that tolling the bridge would allow money collected from Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax to be used for local road projects. They also contend that the gas tax is becoming increasingly outmoded due to more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and the likelihood that electric vehicles will eventually dominate the market.

Linko said he doesn’t drive on that part of I-79 every day, but “I know people who do, and (travel) on that stretch of road daily. We’ve got to give a voice to these people.”

The petition centers specifically on the tolling of the I-79 bridge and none of the other bridges PennDOT is considering tolling. None of those bridges are located in the Pittsburgh region. Linko argues that PennDOT needs to run its ship more efficiently, rather than collect additional tolls.

As of Monday afternoon, 2,659 people had signed the petition.

Meanwhile, South Fayette Township’s board of commissioners has contracted with the law firm Smith Butz to represent it in a potential challenge to the bridge tolling plan. Based in Southpointe, the firm has handled several cases against the natural gas industry. Other communities that would be impacted by the bridge tolling plan have been invited to join the suit, according to Andrea Iglar, a spokeswoman for South Fayette.

If the plan to toll the bridge is approved, the earliest construction would begin is 2023.