How Should Rhode Island Pay For Newport County's Bridges?
Without tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge, how would you make up the funding shortfall on bridge maintenance.
Tiverton, Little Compton and residents across the East Bay are uniting in opposition to the tolls and local legislators are investigating alternative revenue sources to make up for funding shortfalls.
At a senate hearing on Wednesday, dozens of East Bay residents - many of whom are from Tiverton - spoke of the economic and cultural impact that a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge would have on their communty.
Sen. Louis P. Dipalma (D-Dist. 12) recently introduced a bill that if approved, would block tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge and make up the funding shortfall by creating a bridge maintenance fund by adding a $20 surcharge to vehicle inspections fees.
Without a toll, the RITBA will be $17 million short on its maintenance tab annually. Under DiPalma's plan to increase inspection fees, enough revenue would be made up to freeze the Newport Pell Bride toll and prohibit tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge, Mt. Hope Bridge and Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge.
Do you think this is the best way to fund bridge maintenance projects? What are your ideas? Tell us in the comments below.
Kevin Healey
9:19 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Kudo's to Lou for seeing the light. He voted for the tolls before he decided that he is was against the tolls. Shades of John Kerry. If the state would take it's hands out of the Gas Tax money till, ($0.10 per gallon highter than Mass. and most of the naton,) there would be ample funds to take care of all the roads and bridges. Like the Social Security "Trust Fund," they just can't resist raiding our hard earned money. A pox on all of them.
Bill Glassco
9:03 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013
Amen!
Jim L
10:08 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Riase the gas tax, make the GA put the gas tax and card registration money where it belongs, for cars and bridges, Dump the RITBA and use that money going for overhead to care for roads and bridge's, The Ga has roughly 30 million dollars from taxpayers that mostly is used for "grants" to give our money back to us, End in state tuition for imigrents, use economic devolpment money, Sue to get the Studio 38 money back and use those funds for the bridges, and there are probaly more ways to do this
any of those are better than killing jobs and tax money from Newport county
Joe Sousa
4:14 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
The RITBA . should give the Mt Hope bridge back to the State . They had the chance when Gov. Almond took the toll off. The RITBA Board screwed up ! Give it back to the State , Problem Solved !
Robert E
5:18 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
What makes anyone think the toll money will go to maintain the Sakonnet bridge. RI has a long tradition of taking money raised for one thing and using it for another. How do you think RIDOT was defunded in the first place. Once the GA sees the money being raised they won't be able to keep their hand off it. A perfict example is the College Bound Fund Parents are investing their money in the fund so that their kids can go to college and the state is using that money to fund RIPTA next time you see one of the RIPTA rider ads look at the end where it says it was paid for by the College Bound Fund. That fund will be just like the pentions when the time comes there will be no money there. Maybe they can use the toll money to replace the money they are spending out of the College Bound Fund.
electric Mike
8:22 pm on Saturday, February 16, 2013
Consolidate the DOT and RIBTA in to one efficient agency since the smallest state has two road authorities and still manages to have one of the country's worst road systems. This elimination of bureaucracy and crony job positions will save many dollars.
David
9:34 pm on Saturday, February 16, 2013
All great ideas but pols too stupid to make real bold moves. We need common sense back in the state house.