HARRISBURG – Senator Doug Mastriano (R-33) released the following statement after the Commonwealth Court decided to halt PennDOT’s plan to toll nine bridges throughout Pennsylvania:
“I`m very pleased that the court has issued a preliminary injunction to stop Governor Wolf’s major bridge tolling scheme. PennDOT was planning to move forward with few details about how expensive these tolls were going to be and without approval from the General Assembly. The P3 process needs to be reformed and that’s why I supported legislation last year that would provide a fixed notice requirement, a public comment period, and stronger oversight by the General Assembly.
“With out-of-control inflation, PA families are already struggling to pay bills and feed their families. Now, Wolf wants to compound those struggles by adding a new fee for commuters. This has been a constant theme throughout his entire tenure. To make matters worse, PennDOT is planning to contract with an international conglomerate to oversee the bridge construction and repairs. We should only be supporting American companies for our infrastructure projects.
“I was one of the few Senators to vote ‘no’ on the confirmation of PennDOT Secretary Yasmin Gramian because she would not commit to a statewide freeze on toll hikes. More tolls and fees are not the answer to our PennDOT funding problem. We need to ensure that the money that already goes to the Motor License fund can only be allocated to road and bridge maintenance.”
Media Contact: Josh Herman