Madison Kwiecinski 

News Editor 

Mvk5945@psu.edu 

Pennsylvania has the third highest number of bridges in the United States, with over 25,000 bridges. However, PA ranke even higher when looking at the state with the most structurally unsound bridges. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, or the ARTBA,  PA ranks second highest in deficient bridges. 

 Pittsburgh, the city known for its bridges, recently had one collapse as the country evaluates how to handle infrastructure. President Joe Biden has been pushing for major infrastructure reform since he took office, and recently had to visit the collapsed bridge site in Pittsburgh in place of giving the infrastructure speech he previously had planned for the visit. Erie county may soon be facing a similar situation. 

Pennsylvania, according to the ARTBA report, has 3,770 structurally deficient bridges or bridges in poor condition, with PA only having less unsound bridges then Iowa. The eight most-traveled bridges in PA that are structurally deficient are all located in Philadelphia county, but that is only the most traveled of the bridges. The two most traveled of the bridges are both stretches of Interstate 95 and both were built back in 1967. The two bridges see approximately 195,000 cars cross daily according to the ARTBA. Though it does make sense the most traveled bridges in the state would be the most structurally unsound and located in the most populated county, it is still cause for concern. 

Earlier this year, the American Society of Engineers gave PA a rating of a D+ regarding the quality of the state’s roads and bridges. This was something Governor Wolf mentioned when proposing his Restore Pennsylvania Infrastructure Plan which dedicated $4.5 billion toward PA state infrastructure. 

In response to PA’s recent degrading infrastructure, PennDot has proposed tolls on bridges in order to fund the infrastructure repairs. 

“We’re just having a hard time with the existing funding levels that we have of doing adequate maintenance and replacement of those structures,” said PennDOT Alternative Funding Director Ken McClain. “We have an $8.1 billion annual funding shortfall.”

PennDot is pushing for the Public Private Partnership Board to approve the Major Bridge P3 Initiative, which would essentially allow for tolling booths to be placed on nine separate bridges across the commonwealth. The revenue collected from the tolls on these bridges would then be dedicated to repaying private contractors over a period of 30 years. 

“It is a necessary revenue stream to help replace and augment our current stagnated funding sources,” said McClain. “I liken it to taking a mortgage out on your home. That toll revenue will be the revenue stream that will pay back that borrowing of that initial investment.”

The current implementation of this program is still to be decided, as some lawmakers are arguing this PennDot initiative was not cleared through the proper channels. PA State Senator Scott Hutchinson, a Republican representing Warren and Butler counties, is strongly opposed to this course of action. The says that the board has never in the past had anything to do with revenue raising in any way. 

Hutchinson has also argued that provisions are in place which allow the legislature to nullify actions taken by the board within approximately 21 days, however, the legislature was not in session during the time this was planned. Therefore they did not have the ability to nullify the board’s course of action. Hutchinson also claims that in order to be in compliance with the law public input is required well in advance of final decisions, which did not take place. 

McClain claims that 346 similar tolling facilities exist nationwide and have proven to be effective at increasing revenue. However the bridges get fixed, Pennsylvania infrastructure is among the worst in the country and needs repair.