Rhode Island’s top lawmakers have proposed a 10-year plan to fund repair of the state’s deteriorating infrastructure through adding a truck-only user fee on 17-20 bridges.
Gov. Gina Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed unveiled the RhodeWorks plan at a May 27 press conference. They did not provide an estimate of what truckers would be charged, only that the new fee would generate an annual $100 million.
Electronic tolling would be implemented for trucks with three axles or more on several bridges on Interstates 95, 195, 295 and 146 Routes 6 and 10. This new fee would be used to pay off a $700 million proposed revenue bond that would be obtained to reconstruct bridges and prevent additional bridges from further deterioration.
The plan is meant to address Rhode Island’s last-place status in bridge conditions. The funding formula would add a $1.1 billion and allow a total of $4.8 billion to be allocated to infrastructure repair, according to the RhodeWorks announcement.
“Beyond bridges, RhodeWorks also reflects a new commitment toward providing increased bus and rail service as well as funding for bike lanes and accessible sidewalks,” it stated. “It includes a proposal to construct an express bus lane as part of the 6/10 interchange reconstruction, and it seeks to attract an additional $400 million in federal matching funds for public transit.”
Other northeast states on the I-95 corridor already have user fees while Connecticut is considering it. Plan proponents cited the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s $182 fee and New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge $49 toll as examples.
In Rhode Island, only the state’s turnpike and bridge authority charge a user fee, applicable only for the Newport Bridge.
