Friday, May 24, 2013
Construction crews are expected to finish installing the toll gantry in Portsmouth on Friday morning.
Commuters traveling from Portsmouth over the Sakonnet River Bridge on Route 24 will drive underneath the tolling gantry for the first time Friday morning - but they won't be charged until this summer. Although construction crews are slated to complete the installation of the tolling infrastructure by early Friday morning, the technology won't be ready to start charging drivers for at least another three to four weeks. "Yes, tonight [Thursday] it will be erected across the roadway and be up by the time people get up tomorrow [Friday] morning, but this doesn't mean it will be operational," said David Darlington, chairman of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. "By [Friday] morning, it will just be in place. Equipment will still…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Former Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk said it is important for Aquidneck Island to have a voice on the RITBA board
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority board voted Wednesday to re-elect David Darlington, of North Kingstown, as chairman and Former Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk as vice chairman. Waluk was initially appointed to the RITBA board by Governor Carcieri in 2005 and was recently reappointed by Governor Chafee for another four year term. "I am happy to be re-elected as Vice Chair of the RITBA," said Waluk. "It is important that Newport and Aquidneck Island have a voice on this board." Last year, Rhode Island's General Assembly approved to move two additional bridges into RIBTA's jurisdiction and install tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge to fund the maintenance. The law has been met by strong opposition by East Bay lawmakers and …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Local legislators said they would continue efforts to repeal tolling on the Sakonnet River Bridge despite a RITBA decision establishing a toll rate structure today.
East Bay legislators said they are not giving up on efforts to block tolling on the Sakonnet River Bridge following Wednesday's decision by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to establish toll rates. Lawmakers and residents from East Bay communities have argued that a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge could discourage tourists and have significant impacts on the the local economy. "They are using the Sakonnet River Bridge as a cash cow for more than $20 million to be sucked out of our economy in the East Bay to support the [Newport] Pell and Mt. Hope bridges," said Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70 Portsmouth, Tiverton) in response to the the RITBA decision to move forward and establish a tolling rate on the Sakonnet River …
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority voted to establish tolling rates today the Sakonnet River Bridge.
Tolls are expected to be in place on the Sakonnet River Bridge by July, said the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority chairman after the the board established toll rates this morning. Drivers with a Rhode Island E-Z Pass transponder will pay 75 cents to cross the Sakonnet River. Drivers with out-of-state transponders will pay $3.75 per trip and travelers without an E-Z Pass transponder will be billed $5.25 per trip. "For the first time we will be offering a discount for people driving back and forth more than once a day," said David Darlington, RITBA chairman in an interview after the RITBA meeting in Jamestown on Wednesday. For local drivers, regardless of the number of trips over the Sakonnet River Bridge in a single day, the …
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will hold two toll workshops this Saturday in Portsmouth.
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will hold two bridge toll workshops this Saturday at the Roger Williams University Conference Center, reports The Sakonnet Times. The first workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The second workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. All residents are encouraged to attend these meetings. Additionally, the RITBA will host a virtual meeting and video conference on Google Plus athttp://bit.ly/WYxwGh from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. as another avenue for residents to discuss details with RITBA officials. “As we have done in the past when considering new tolls or increasing existing tolls, we would like the public to have the opportunity to provide their input about tolling and the types of discounts…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tiverton's legislators told the Town Council on Monday that any plans to subvert tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge would need to fill a $17 million funding gap.
Tiverton's legislative delegation told the Town Council on Monday that any efforts to undermine the the placement of tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge would need to address a $17 million annual funding shortfall. According to Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, to maintain Newport County's four bridges - the Newport Pell Bridge, Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, Mt. Hope Bridge, and the Sakonnet - will cost the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) $38 million annually over the next 10 years. Effectively, the revenues from a Sakonnet River Bridge toll would do more to pay for maintenance projects on the RITBA's other older bridges, as the Sakonnet River Bridge is a state-of-the-art new construction, said Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. Dist. 70…
41.624607
-71.207474
Tiverton Town Hall
343 Highland Rd, Tiverton, RI
/articles/without-sakonnet-tolls-bridges-face-17-million-funding-shortfall
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/locations/8702525
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 …
41.628317
-71.16656
Tiverton High School
100 N Brayton Rd, Tiverton, RI
/articles/hundreds-turn-out-for-second-hearing-on-bridge-tolls
496751
/locations/8303881
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tiverton STOP met with local legislators and residents on Tuesday night to discuss strategies to block tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge.
Tiverton STOP, a citizens group dedicated to barring tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge met with local legislators and residents on Tuesday night. The state Department on Transportation (DOT) will hold two public hearings next week to learn about potential environmental, traffic and economic threat to the area through the eyes of the community. DOT Director Michael P. Lewis and Gov. Lincoln Chafee have left questions of toll rates and booth placement undefined, and the governor says he is open to other options for increasing revenue for state infrastructure. Do you have a plan? How would you balance the public opposition to tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge and the need to increase revenues to maintain roads and bridges. Tell us in the …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Portsmouth and Tiverton residents and businesses protest a plan for bridge tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge.
Its hard to travel anywhere in Tiverton or Portsmouth these days without seeing or hearing complaints against plans to place toll booths on the new Sakonnet River Bridge. Several residents were seen first-hand signing a paper petition protesting the decision by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to collect tolls on the new infrastructure. The decision came after the state turned over ownership of the bridge to the Turnpike and Bridge Authority. "To those of you that say it can't be done, look at what Fall River did with the LNG deal," said Tiverton reader Jim L. in a recent blog post. "They stopped a major corporation and the US government. Buddy Cianci will be broad casting live at Clements' Marketplace next week, come, …
Monday, June 11, 2012
The Senate could vote later today on the budget, which includes a proposal to transfer ownership of the Sakonnet River Bridge to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority.
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Monday, June 11, 2012
The Rhode Island Senate is expected to vote today on the 2013 budget bill, 2012-H 7323Aaa, which includes a proposal to transfer ownership of the Sakonnet River Bridge. The 2013 $8.1-million spending plan, which was passed by the House of Representatives early in the morning of June 8, was heard by the Senate Committee on Finance on Friday, which subsequently reported the bill out for a vote by the full chamber. The governor's budget includes a proposal to transfer ownership of the new Sakonnet River Bridge from the Department of Transportation to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, ultimately anticipating tolls to be placed on the span of Route 24 connecting Tiverton to Portsmouth. The Senate floor session is scheduled to …
Joe Sousa
6:35 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
If your not involved in this fight you better get involved . We need numbers to Stop the toll. more ›