PennDOT names three team finalists to administer bridge tolling project
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Commonwealth Court halted a plan to place tolls on the Interstate 79 bridge near Bridgeville.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Thousands of vehicles pass over the Interstate 79 bridge in South Fayette Township. A plan to toll the bridge to pay for the cost of rehabilitating it is being considered.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Construction could begin on rehabilitating the I-79 bridge at Bridgeville by 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is nudging forward a controversial plan that would place tolls on several interstate bridges in the commonwealth, including the span over Interstate 79 near Bridgeville.
Last week, PennDOT announced it had picked three finalists to administer a public-private partnership that would fix bridges the department maintains are in need of repair, with the cost being passed on to drivers who pass over the bridges. The decision to toll the bridges is not yet sewn up, since an environmental review process is continuing, and public comment is still being accepted.
The finalists that have been selected are:
- Bridging Pennsylvania Partners, which consists of Macquarie Infrastructure Developments LLC; Shikun & Binui Concessions USA Inc., and Shikun & Binui – America, Inc.; FCC Construction, S.A.; and SAI Consulting Engineers Inc.
- Keystone Pathway Developers, which includes the development, engineering and infrastructure company Kiewit; Star America PA Bridges, LLC; and Urban Engineers, Inc.
- Keystone Pathways Mobility Partners, comprised of Cintra Infrastructures SE, Itinera Infrastructure and Concessions Inc.; Halmar International LLC and North Tarrant Infrastructure, LLC; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; and KS Engineers, P.C.
PennDOT will be making proposal requests of the three groups in a couple of months, with a deadline early next year. PennDOT is asking each of the teams for a detailed breakdown on how they will handle the program.
PennDOT maintains that the public-private partnership to fix the bridges is necessary because the gas tax is not yielding the revenue it once did, and that tolls will allow money that would otherwise be spent on the bridges to go toward local road projects. Through the public-private partnership, whatever team is chosen would be handling the design and construction of the bridges, financing and maintenance. The package would also include a plan for tolling, such as the gantry structures that vehicles would pass under as they approach the bridge.
The northbound and southbound bridges at the I-79 exchange near Bridgeville would be subject to tolls if the plan is approved. No amount has yet been set, but the possibility of the toll being $1 or $2 per trip has been mentioned. The toll would be paid through license plate billing or E-Z Pass.
The bridge was built in 1965 and last rehabilitated in 1998. PennDOT also plans to widen I-79 in the vicinity of the bridge. It is the only interstate bridge that PennDOT is considering tolling in the Pittsburgh region. The other bridges are located in Berks, Clarion, Carbon, Luzerne, Jefferson, Dauphin, Susquehanna and Philadelphia counties. If the plan is ultimately given the green light, construction would not begin until 2023 at the earliest. The estimated cost is between $100 million and $150 million.
Yassmin Gramian, PennDOT’s secretary, said in a news release, “Combined with potential federal and state action on transportation investments, this initiative will ensure critical projects are completed while also freeing resources for other projects.”
Since the announcement in February that PennDOT was considering tolling the bridges, the reaction has largely been negative. Lawmakers have vowed to stamp out the proposal, and officials in South Fayette Township and Bridgeville borough have said a bridge toll would increase traffic and wear and tear on roads and streets that are already clogged with traffic, and hamper business development.
Earlier this month, PennDOT had a workshop meeting with community leaders near the bridge to find out what roads might see increased traffic if the bridge is tolled. State Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Cecil, whose district includes the area around the bridge, dismissed the meeting in a news release as “a dog and pony show that PennDOT put on to check off a box.”
Ortitay continued, “The impact this blatantly stupid scheme will have on South Fayette, Bridgeville, Collier Township, Oakdale, Cecil Township and many other residents and drivers who travel through this area is huge. Not only will it lead to faster local road failure that will necessitate additional repairs, but the extra traffic also would increase the chances of accidents and congestion. It seems all this plan will do is add costs to municipal governments and increase travel times.”
A virtual, on-demand public meeting is tentatively set for January, according to Alexis Campbell, a spokeswoman for PennDOT. An in-person, public meeting is also planned around that time as well. Public comment is still being accepted on the website of each individual project.
The website for the Bridgeville project is https://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-11/ConstructionsProjectsAndRoadwork/AlleghenyCountyConstruction/Pages/I-79-Widening-Bridgeville-Interchange.aspx.