Tolling quashed in South Fayette

Township wins lawsuit against I-79 bridge toll plan

PennDOT does not appeal decision

By Andrea Iglar

There will be no bridge toll on Interstate 79 in South Fayette.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s proposal to toll nine bridges across the state was permanently blocked June 30, when the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by South Fayette Township, Collier Township and Bridgeville Borough.

We officially won the case.

PennDOT did not appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, and the 30-day window to challenge the ruling has expired.

“It is done, and it is over,” Gwen A. Rodi, president of the South Fayette Township Board of Commissioners, said at the Aug. 10 board meeting.

“We officially won the case. There will be no tolling in South Fayette unless they come back to the drawing board and redo everything all over again.”

The PennDOT plan to toll a bridge on Interstate 79 in South Fayette has been defeated in a lawsuit.

File photo by Andrea Iglar

The Commonwealth Court unanimously found that PennDOT has no authority to implement the tolls, including on the I-79 bridge at the South Fayette/Bridgeville interchange.

“This ruling is a great relief to the many residents, business owners and local employees who have been worried about the financial burden of paying tolls on I-79,” Rodi said.

“The township acted quickly to protect the interests of our citizens and business community, and we are pleased with the result.”

The Major Bridge P3 Initiative—a statewide plan to use public-private partnerships to repair or replace bridges, including the I-79 bridge—was determined to be void.

The Commonwealth Court found that the Public- Private Transportation Partnership (P3) Board violated Act 88 and the P3 Manual when it did not name in advance the bridges it wanted to toll and failed to consult beforehand with the people who would be affected.