CLEARFIELD – In order to supplement their previously stated opposition to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s plans to submit a new application to the United States Department of Transportation to toll Interstate 80, the Clearfield County Commissioners have addressed a latter to 14 senators and representatives who represent counties along the interstate corridor.
In the letter addressed June 4, the commissioners asked for “immediate action” to end the threat of tolling on the interstate by drafting legislation to rescind Act. 44.
“Specifically, we call for a non-partisan coalition of the PA House and Senate members, regardless of party affiliation, to join together as elected leaders to correct the mistake that was made when Act 44 was passed. We are requesting the repeal of Act 44 once and for all. The passage of time has shown the citizens, businesses, and local leaders along the I-80 corridor will not accept the tolling of this vital highway,” the letter reads.
The commissioners noted that while the United States Department of Transportation had already rejected a previous attempt by the Turnpike Commission to toll the interstate, the only people who have the authority to put a permanent end to “this threat to rural Pennsylvania” are the members of the state’s house and senate.
“We urge you to work with your colleagues along the I-80 corridor and draft legislation to overturn Act 44 and remove the Turnpike Commission’s authority to manage I-80. As long as Act 44 is law, the Turnpike Commission will continue their misguided efforts to toll I-80,” the commissioners wrote in their letter.
In conclusion, the commissioners indicated that they understood funding for highway construction and public transit is a difficult issue. They, however, said that tolling I-80 and extracting the costs for rural Pennsylvania was a “wrong decision” that must be rectified.