PennDOT Says Proposed Interstate Bridge Tolls 'Not Permanent'

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said that proposed tolls for nine interstate bridges won’t be permanent.

PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian told the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, April 29, that the tolls will remain in effect for the length of the contract the state enters into with the private developer responsible for replacing and maintaining the structures as part of the agency’s Pathways Major Bridge P3 Initiative.

“This is not a permanent tax,” she said during an exchange with Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville. “This is not a tax. This is a user fee. People are...