Tuesday, December 4, 2012
There was no lack of audience at the second in a pair of public hearings on the Sakonnet River Bridge toll by the state Department of Transportation in Tiverton on Tuesday night.
Hundreds of residents packed Tiverton High School auditorium, hoping to be heard at the second Sakonnet Bridge toll hearing on Tuesday night. Michael P. Lewis, director of the Department of Transportation (DOT) opened the meeting at 7:02 p.m. and told residents he would provide an abridged presentation explaining the agency's revenue problems. "It is not lost on me that this is not a popular proposal, but we are going to talk about the reasons why this is being considered," said Lewis. "The background on how transportation is funded in state, the history of the [state] Turnpike and Bridge Authority and what is this toll that is being proposed." "Most importantly this is a public hearing opportunity for us at RIDOT to hear from you on …
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Hundreds of residents turned out for the first of two bridge toll hearings on Monday night in Portsmouth.
Michael P. Lewis, director of the Department of Transportation (DOT), opened the first of two bridge toll hearings on Monday evening in Portsmouth. The second hearing will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Tiverton High School. Many audience members held "no toll" signs. Lewis also encouraged residents to fill out a comment sheet. "The bulk of the hearing is for you," Lewis said. "We will be here as long as you need it tonight." Lewis began with a history of the proposal. In the 2013 budget, the governor approved the authorization to transfer ownership of the Sakonnet River Bridge to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA). "The transfer has not happened yet," Lewis said. The Sakonnet River Bridge will be complete in spring…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Tiverton resident Roger A. Bennis writes a letter to the editor and demands answers from DOT Director Michael P. Lewis.
- OPINION
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Thursday, October 4, 2012
To the Editor: I am writing an open letter to DOT Director Lewis, with a request to clarify statements made on 03/26/12, (by DOTDirector Michael P. Lewis) and reported in a Newport Daily News article, “DOT director: Toll needed on new bridge” on 03/27/12. The article stated: “Tolls from the Pell Bridge and the new Sakonnet Bridge would be dedicated to repairs of all four Newport County spans with about $10 million to $15 million a year reserved for other East Bay road and bridgeprojects, Lewis said. That would ensure local infrastructure projects do not have to compete for finite state resources,he said.” QUESTION 1: Does the above statement indicate that the tolls from the Newport Bridge and the proposed SakonnetBridge toll would support …
Friday, September 23, 2011
The RI Public Interest Research Group says that more than 322 of the state's bridges are 50 years or older.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, September 23, 2011
A new report from the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group attempts to shed some light on the state of our state's infrastructure. The report states that based on 2009 inspection data and costs, Rhode Island would need $1.13 billion to bring all of our bridges into a state of good repair. By comparison, Rhode Island spent $39 million total on bridge repair and replacement in 2008. The report ranks Rhode Island 4th worst nationally in terms of the overall condition of the state's bridges (1 being the worst, 51 being the best). In Newport County, PIRG says that out of 42 bridges, 10 are structurally deficient, a percentage of 23.8 percent. Age may be a factor — more than 322 Rhode Island bridges are already 50 years old or older, …
Christine Motta
6:13 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
I agree with you Cherie--ENOUGH already--people have been moving out of R.I because its taxes are Too High and for what??--No bridge tax-- We are all Fed Up--Long time resident of Tiverton more ›