One member of the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors is behind an initiative to push for the elimination or restructuring of the tolls on the Coleman Bridge, making the trip home across the bridge less costly to local commuters.

York district supervisor Phillip Bazzani, who represents Gloucester as a legislative committee member and voting member on the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, is encouraging state legislators to ask VDOT to refinance the current debt still owed on the bridge, which is close to $40 million, restructure toll rates to make them less burdensome on local residents or other solutions to the toll dilemma.

“According to VDOT data, about 70 percent of the (Coleman Bridge) debt is paid by Gloucester residents,” Bazzani said. “This represents an unfair tax to our citizens.” He said the average Gloucester resident spends approximately $700-$800 a year on tolls, while a family of four spends upwards of $1,500 a year on tolls...