On February 18, 2021, PennDOT identified the bridges to be included in their new “Pathways Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (P3) Initiative”, an ambitious program to replace or rehabilitate infrastructure components in nine major projects scattered across Pennsylvania. The only project in southwestern Pennsylvania is the Bridgeville interchange on I-79.
PennDOT’s difficulties funding transportation have been well documented. In addition to 40,000 miles of highways and 25,000 bridges, the department is also responsible for public transportation authorities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as for ports and airports.
There has been general agreement that PennDOT’s current annual budget for highways and bridges, $6.9 billion, falls far short of the $15 billion required each year to properly maintain them. Three fourths of PennDOT’s revenue comes from the tax on gasoline. The combination of the transition to electrical vehicles, the increased mileage efficiency of conventional vehicles, and the shift to remote employment all contribute to the realization that this shortfall will grow in the future.
In November PennDOT announced that it had received approval of combining two concepts – the tolling of individual bridges and the financing by P3 – to provide a mechanism for major required work not currently possible within today’s budget constraints.
The P3 approach had been used earlier by PennDOT on its “Rapid Bridge Replacement Project”, in which a joint venture – Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners – contracted to replace 588 smaller, deficient bridges and to maintain them for thirty years, in return for annual payments during the maintenance period. General opinion is that the program was successful, at least from PennDOT’s perspective.
Tolling, of course, dates back to the earliest days of our country and is still a major source of revenue for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. As an alternative to additional taxation, it provides a mechanism for funding critical projects immediately. Nationwide, over twenty-two billion dollars a year is collected in tolls. In addition, tolling is a user fee, not something paid for by the general public.
Reworking the Bridgeville Interchange is a major project, probably costing about one hundred and fifty million dollars. The major incentive in this rework, of course, is the significant rush hour congestion at the interchange.
A major step toward reducing this congestion is the addition of a third lane in each direction, from the Prestley Road overpass to the Alpine Road overpass, in effect producing merging and stacking lanes for traffic entering and leaving I-79 at Bridgeville.
A second improvement is the addition of a dedicated south-bound off ramp, to facilitate traffic heading northwest on Route 50, “up Millers Run”. An efficient interchange between two intersecting arteries requires a full cloverleaf, with dedicated ramps in each direction. A satellite view of the I-79/I-80 interchange illustrates the origin of the term, cloverleaf.
As constructed, the Bridgeville Interchange is only five-eighths of a cloverleaf; the three missing ramps require traffic lights and the consequent backup of traffic at rush hour. Adding the new ramp is certainly a constructive idea.
The congestion is further complicated by the proximity of the intersection of Route 50 and the Washington Pike, so close that it might actually be considered part of the interchange. Several other projects are underway with the goal of reducing its impact on the congestion problem, including a dedicated north bound ramp extending up Chartiers Street to Dewey Avenue, whenever the traffic light at Chartiers and Washington Avenue is green.
The Interstate Highway System was conceived with the goal of moving large numbers of vehicles long distances efficiently. That goal has been achieved; the system’s downfall has been its inability to handle the massive amount of commuter traffic superimposed upon it in urban areas during rush hour.
The PennDOT traffic volume map for 2019 reports Annual Average Daily Traffic Volumes for major arteries. PennDOT reported that 87,000 vehicles use the portion of I-79 north of the interchange each day. South of it, 73,000 vehicles are reported, suggesting that at least 14,000 vehicles exit and enter I-79 there.
The same map shows 16,000 vehicles on Route 50 west and 33,000 on 50 east. Two thirds of the 33,000 go in to Bridgeville; the balance go south on Washington Pike. Chartiers Street draws 8,500 vehicles per day.
A cursory analysis of these data, using typical rush hour information from documented sources suggests that the peak demand for the interchange is about 1,600 vehicles in the busiest rush hour, far more than the current configuration can handle.
The PennDOT District Executive stressed the fact that there is no guarantee that these projects will eliminate the problem, but that their goal is to minimize it. I suspect that the general public will be in favor of them, as well as the P3 project delivery approach.
The tolling concept is a different matter. Already local elected officials have gone on record opposing it, arguing that it specifically penalizes a region that has recently experienced considerable growth, while benefiting primarily motorists passing through the area en route to other destinations. This attitude strongly contradicts the idea of user fees rather than general appropriations.
It will be interesting to learn about the details of the tolling process. Will it be limited to vehicles actually crossing the bridges, or will it apply to those exiting and entering the interchange as well? A toll of one to two dollars was mentioned. PennDOT reported that 87,000 vehicles use the interchange each day; is two dollars sufficiently onerous to encourage motorists to use the Kirwan Heights interchange instead?
One assumes the improvements will indeed reduce the congestion on Washington Avenue and Chartiers Street in Bridgeville. Or will the toll merely divert Upper St. Clair motorists to overload other Bridgeville streets en route to Kirwan Heights?
This will be an interesting project to follow from several perspectives. Will the technology involved sufficiently reduce the problem? Can PennDOT find a P3 partner interested in assuming a thirty-year obligation? How will users respond to the toll? Time will tell.