Washington, D.C.   - As part of his ongoing efforts to keep Interstate 80 a freeway, U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) spoke to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and, again, conveyed the concerns of western Pennsylvanians regarding the state’s plan to place tolls on I-80.  English’s phone conversation with the Secretary came on the heels of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s resubmission of its application to place up to 10 toll booths on the well-traveled corridor by 2010.

“Last night, I spoke with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and told her that local stakeholders continue to be overwhelmingly opposed to the tolling of I-80,” said English. “The communities along the I-80 corridor have studied this issue, weighed it honestly and remain adamantly opposed to the tolling of the interstate.”

Last July, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted Act 44, which sought to place tolls on I-80 to generate money to close gaps in the state budget.  In order to advance the proposal, however, the Commonwealth must receive approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Over the past year, English, a staunch opponent of the plan, has championed efforts in Washington to prevent federal authorization and halt the Commonwealth’s plan to place tolls on I-80.  Most recently, English brought U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the lead Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to Mercer County to participate in a public hearing which gave local community leaders, business owners and citizens an opportunity to discuss and examine the economic impact tolling I-80 will have on western Pennsylvania.

“We remain deeply concerned that tolling I-80 is punitive for the driving public, for consumers and for communities hoping to avoid diverted truck traffic,” English continued.  “We are deeply concerned that at a time when Congress is preparing to send more federal dollars to the states for roads and bridges, Pennsylvania is preparing to direct toll revenues to completely unrelated mass transit subsidies.”

Although English is in the process of examining the PTC’s revised application, English noted that, at first glance, the Commission’s resubmission to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) still fails to address the fundamental question at the heart of this matter and the law: is tolling I-80 necessary for the road itself or merely a shell game by the PTC to prop up urban mass transit at the expense of communities impacted by the toll plan.  The resubmission is deliberately vague on this question signaling that nothing has changed and the shell game continues. 

“This continues to be a classical case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and represents the largest shift of resources away from rural Pennsylvania to more affluent communities in the history of the state,” English said.  “I will continue with my efforts and work the U.S. Department of Transportation and Secretary Peters to ensure that the I-80 corridor remains as it was originally intended to be, a freeway.”

-###-