Calling it a victory for all residents and businesses along the Interstate 80 corridor, Reps. Merle Phillips (R-Northumberland/Snyder) and Russ Fairchild (R-Snyder/Union) today hailed a decision by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to reject an application to toll the highway. 

“The Federal Highway Administration’s rejection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s application to toll I-80 sends a clear message that its proposal did not meet the strict federal guidelines necessary to allow the tolling,” Phillips said. “Tolling I-80 should not be used as a means to raise revenue for mass transit and highway projects in other areas of the state, and we are so pleased the federal government agreed.”  

Fairchild agreed. “For nearly three years, we have all stood strong to prevent tolling from happening, and we are hopeful that today’s news signals a positive boost for our economy,” he said. “Since 2007, hundreds of businesses have feared the dramatic cost of tolls and that it would drive them out of business. Many companies put plans on hold to expand their operations or locate here just because of the potential for tolling. This decision helps protect these businesses and their thousands of workers along the corridor and, in turn, may attract new business and industry to our region of the state.” 

Phillips and Fairchild, among other state and federal lawmakers, met with four high-ranking officials with the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, D.C. in December and conveyed to them the concerns of their constituents. Namely among those concerns were the negative economic impact and potential loss of thousands of jobs, the high cost to local governments and taxpayers and the dangerous precedent a federal approval would set for transportation policy. Overall, tolling I-80 is poor public policy that punishes rural Pennsylvania in favor of more populated areas of the Commonwealth. 

This meeting was in addition to numerous letters to Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood and several fact-finding public hearings of the House Republican Policy Committee explaining the faults of the application and its distressing economic impact on Pennsylvania. 

“We are also hopeful that the Turnpike Commission gets the message that this tolling scheme is a horrible idea and that it does not seek to reapply for the program in the short- or long-term future,” they added. 

“From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank every individual, business, economic group and organization who fought with conviction to convince the federal agency this tolling idea would devastate our rural economy and our way of life,” Phillips said. 

“Specifically, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Congressmen Glenn Thompson and Chris Carney, Senator John Gordner, and the bipartisan coalition of state House members along the corridor,” Fairchild added. “In our remaining year serving the people of the 85th and 108th Districts, one of our two regional goals was to defeat this tolling proposal and the other to secure funding for the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway. With the one of those two missions now accomplished, we are looking forward to successfully obtaining funding for the bypass and moving ahead with that project.” 

Rep. Merle Phillips
108th District
(570) 286-5885
Rep. Russ Fairchild
85th District
(570) 524-2788
Contact:  Jennifer Algoe Keaton
Jkeaton@pahousegop.com
(717) 705-2094
Caucus site:  PAHouseGOP.com