Dear KTFC Members & Friends:
Asserting that PennDOT’s Major Bridge Initiative violated constitutional prohibitions against the legislature delegating its taxation authority, a Commonwealth Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring the Commonwealth from proceeding with the bridge program until a similar lawsuit is resolved.
The bridge initiative involved restoring or replacing as many as nine bridges and paying for the work by tolling those bridges. The initiative was set up as a public-private partnership, for which a concessionaire has already been selected.
The injunction request was filed by Cumberland County and seven municipalities, who contended that they were shut out of the process until after decisions had been made. PennDOT has appealed the injunction.
Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc, majority chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, along with several other lawmakers, applauded the court order.
The P-3 Board had approved the initiative before the bridges were selected and project details were known. Langerholc has introduced legislation that will assure legislative oversight in the future.
