Senator Lindsey Williams & Senator Muth

Harrisburg, Pa.− February 7, 2022 − Senator Lindsey M. Williams released the following statement today:

“It’s no secret that I was strongly opposed to the sudden elimination of on-site Turnpike toll collection in June 2020 and the associated unexpected termination of about 500 toll booth employees. These workers deserved better than to be laid off in the midst of a global pandemic with almost no notice.

We then learned that the toll by plate system replacing these workers led to $104 million in lost toll revenue in FY 2021-22 because of a right-to-know request from the Associated Press. This lack of transparency and accountability within the Pennsylvania Turnpike is absolutely unacceptable. I was happy to vote for Senate Bill 1051 today in the Transportation Committee, which will require an annual report to the General Assembly detailing the annual toll revenues that are collected and uncollected, as well as a breakdown of the reason for failure to collect.  

While I believe that the best and easiest solution to recovering this lost tolling revenue is returning to in-person toll collection, I look forward to receiving this data and to working with the General Assembly to address this serious problem immediately. With the rising costs of traveling the Turnpike, Pennsylvanians deserve full transparency about what money is being left on the table in uncollected toll revenue.”  

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