Republicans Tackle I-80 Debate In Harrisburg

Tolling Interstate 80 is a controversial topic and after a hearing Thursday in Harrisburg the plan doesn't seem to have much support among Republicans in the State House.

House Republicans heard testimony to learn more about tolling I80 and what kind of fallout could occur if the idea goes through.

Instead of getting their questions answered though, lawmakers were left with mroe questions which they said raised some red flags.

Members of the House Republican Policy Committee said their first complaint stems from the fact that neither the Turnpike Commission nor Penndot were willing to send representatives to testify at Wednesday's hearing. The two agencies are pushing for tolls to be added to I80.

"That was so disappointing," said Rep. Matt Gabler. "This is too important of a decision to be made on bad information and I think what we've seen today is how much bad information is out there."

Some of that bad information lawmakers fear, could have come from a company the Turnpike Commission hired to analyze the financial impact of tolling I80. The company, Provident Capital Advisors they said had little background in dealing with transportation issues.

"The company the Turnpike Commission hired is primarily focused on health care and prison systems," said Rep. Michele Brooks.

"That's the lynchpin of this entire application," said Rep. Scott Hutchinson. "It's faulty financial numbers from a company that's never done this stuff before. There are just so many red flags going up."

Then there's the general feeling among many committee members that the tolling plan is simply bad for Pennsylvania's economy.

"We want more businesses and we want good paying jobs and quite frankly I think the tolling of I80 would be devastating to manufacturing, businesses in general and transportation areas that we have to accommodate," said Rep. Karen Boback.

"I would hope the feds would take a close look at this in making their decision," said Rep. Jerry Knowles.

Some GOP committee members claim that businesses won't consider moving to Pennsylvania if they have to deal with tolls on I80. However, the governor and other supporters said the tolls are vital to create needed revenue for the state.

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