Pennsylvania selects companies to implement 9 bridge-tolling project

The PennDOT administration has named construction companies to take on Pennsylvania’s major bridges with toll roads.

Gov. Tom Wolf selected a group of companies to manage the construction of nine important bridges. According to the administration’s plan, the project will be funded by tolls.

Wolf supports toll roads to compensate for declining gasoline tax revenues. However, opponents of this decision believe that it will be costly to businesses and residents.

The Ministry of Transport selected a group of three companies. These are the American subsidiaries of the Israeli Shikun & Binui, the development subsidiary of the Macquarie Group from Australia and the Spanish construction firm FCC Construcción.

The application includes four more firms that specialize in design and construction. They also have major companies in the US headquartered in Pennsylvania.

PennDOT says all construction work must be done by contractors pre-qualified to work in Pennsylvania.

The nine candidate bridges are I-78’s Lenhartsville Bridge in Berks County; I-79’s bridges over State Route 50 in Allegheny County; I-80’s bridges across Canoe Creek in Clarion County, Nescopeck Creek in Luzerne County, North Fork in Jefferson County and the Lehigh River, near Wilkes-Barre; I-81 over the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania; I-83’s South Bridge across the Susquehanna River, a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the state Capitol; and Girard Point Bridge on I-95 in Philadelphia.

PennDOT has said the bridges were chosen because they are relatively large and costly projects that need to be improved soon. The toll would be between $1 and $2, most likely round way, and could last up to 30 years from the start of construction. The fundraiser will raise more than $2 billion.

The contract for the first package of bridges should be concluded by December. Following the design process, construction is expected to begin between autumn 2023 and spring 2024.

Fuel taxes in Pennsylvania are among the highest in the nation. Pennsylvania said the current budget for highways and bridges for construction and maintenance is about $6.9 billion per year.