Portsmouth Rep Says Bridge Toll Fight Is 'Not Over'

Rep. Raymond Gallison says the Turnpike and Bridge Authority should give the public more chances to oppose bridge tolls.

  Rep. Raymond Gallison (Dist. 69, Bristol and Portsmouth) said the fight against bridge tolls is "certainly not over" and more workshops should be held.  The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will hold two bridge toll workshops this Saturday at the Roger Williams University Conference Center. The first workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The second workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.  Gallison released the following statement on Wednesday in response to the workshops being scheduled.  Chairman Dalington can say that Saturday's workshops may be the only opportunity for East Bay, Aquidneck Island and Southcoast residents to comment on the toll rates but he doesn't set the policies and laws for the State of Rhode Island …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Bridge Toll Opponents To Hold Rally

Several speakers will provide updates in the fight against tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge during a rally a Lil Bear Restaurant on March 24.

Portsmouth Leaders To Feds: 'Any Tolls...Are Illegal'

The Portsmouth Town Council president and town administrator sent the following letter to the Federal Highway Administration on Friday.

Town Council President Jim Seveney and Town Administrator John Klimm sent the following letter to the Federal Highway Administration on Friday.  The letter questions the "legality" of placing bridge tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge.  The entire letter is published verbatim at right.  What do you think about the letter? Tell us in the comment section below. 

•  3 Comments
• Documents (1)

DOT Awaits Answer From FHWA Before Moving Forward With Sakonnet River Bridge Tolls

DOT plans to begin tolling on the Sakonnet River Bridge this summer are stalled, pending federal approval.

Plans to install tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge still await federal approval, despite comments by state Department of Transportation Director Michael P. Lewis to a legislative committee on Thursday that tolling would be implemented this summer. DOT Spokesman Bryan Lucier clarified remarks Lewis made during the hearing before the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation. He told Patch Friday afternoon that plans to implement tolls are stalled, as the state awaits an answer from the Federal Highway Administration on its application to impose tolls on Route 24. "We are still waiting for word from the Federal Highway Administration regarding our application — the re-evaluation," Lucier said. "That's kind of where we stand. Obviously …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor: Bridge Tolls "Unacceptable"

As the snow falls outside and real life strolls on, it is easy to forget that some of us are fighting the Sakonnet Bridge Toll through a variety of methods. These efforts became intensified when we found out our hope were to rest on a Bill filed by Rep.

Imagine No Toll On The Pell Bridge

Portsmouth Business Association discusses ideas to stop tolling on the Newport Pell Bridge.

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…

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

Tiverton Residents Speak Out Against Tolls At Senate Hearing

Tiverton residents worry small businesses across the East Bay will suffer if a toll is installed on the Sakonnet River Bridge this summer.

Dozens of residents from across the East Bay united in opposition on Wednesday against the installation of a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge, warning lawmakers that it would crush small businesses and divide a close-knit community. The hearing before the Senate Finance Committee focused more than five hours of testimony on two pending bills.   The first bill, RI Senate Bill 20, would repeal the transfer of the Sakonnet River and Jamestown-Verrazzano bridges from the state Department of Transportation to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. Introduced by Sen. Walter S. Felag (D-Dist. 10), it is cosigned by Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist. 13), Sen. Christopher S. Ottiano (R-Dist. 11), Sen. David E. Bates (R-Dist. 32) and and …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (15)

East Bay Representatives Seek Federal Hearings on Toll

Four East Bay representatives are seeking federal hearings on state plans to institute tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge.

Four East Bay representatives are seeking federal hearings on state plans to institute tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge, according to a State House press release.  Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr. (D-Dist. 69,  Bristol, Portsmouth), Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton, Portsmouth), Rep. Dennis M. Canario (D-Dist 71, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton) and Rep. Linda Finn (D-Dist. 72, Middletown, Portsmouth) sent a letter recently to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood seeking hearings by the Federal Highway Administration on the plan for tolls. “Public hearings were previously conducted by [the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority] concerning the proposed tolls. However, it is …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)