Friday, March 15, 2013
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.
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 …
Friday, October 26, 2012
The Tiverton faction of the Sakonet Toll Opposition Platform will meet tonight in Portsmouth for a fundraiser.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Gov. Lincoln Chafee and Senator Jack Reed mark the opening of this new infrastructure.
Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and Senator Jack Reed this morning joined Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Michael P. Lewis to officially open the new Sakonnet River Bridge. This vital link to Aquidneck Island carries Route 24 and connects Tiverton and Portsmouth. With the opening of the new bridge, the 18-ton weight limit, in effect since June 2008, has been removed. The governor was also met by residents who are opposed to bridge tolls. Although the bridge is open to traffic, work continues on the approach roads on both sides of the span. As part of this activity, the Department temporarily closed the ramp from Route 138 (Main Road) to Route 24 south for approximately two months. A signed detour is in place. RIDOT …
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 28, 2012
How would a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge impact you, your family or your business day to day? Sound off in the comments below.
Tiverton STOP is soliciting letters from East Bay residents who would be affected by a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge. At the group's Thursday night launch meeting at the Tiverton Town Hall, STOP organizers said they aim to send 5,000 to 6,000 personal letters to the governor and local legislators documenting the impact a toll would have on individual citizens, families and small businesses. If you are interested in helping Tiverton STOP achieve its goal, you can pick up a template letter to mail or email to the governor and state legislators at the Town Hall or ask for an electronic copy by emailing TivertonStop@gmail.com. Tiverton STOP is asking any residents who contact the state representatives also send a letter in to the …
Dozens met at Town Hall for the Tiverton STOP launch meeting on Thursday night
More than four dozen residents, legislators and town officials representing all sides of the political spectrum turned out for the Tiverton STOP launch meeting on Thursday night. Political affiliations aside, Tiverton residents can agree on one thing: stop tolling on the Sakonnet River Bridge. "This is a nonpartisan effort," said Jay Lambert, Town Council president. "There are no partisan issues that I'm aware of. These are issues of fairness and economic reality, but those issues are not Democratic, they are not Republican they are not independent." Mediated by Lambert, the meeting was an organizational kickoff meeting for Tiverton residents to meet, sign up to volunteer and to establish leadership plans for each of the group's 10 …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Gov. Lincoln Chafee and state Department of Transportation Director Michael P. Lewis toured the new Sakonnet River Bridge with members of the media on Monday morning.
State officials were reluctant on during a project tour on Monday to pin down a price, location or even to confirm if tolls would be eventually be installed on the new Sakonnet River Bridge. What is clear is that the state must increase revenues to the state Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) by $4.3 million annually to cover existing debt service and by millions more to cover the maintenance and operations costs of the two new bridges brought under the authority's control. RITBA Director Buddy Croft did not return calls to Patch by press time on Monday and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) did not have the figures available. "There will be a public process with multiple hearings to tell how we feel," said Gov. Lincoln Chafee…
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Brendan Doherty, candidate for the first Congressional District, discussed his views on the Sakonnet River Bridge toll at a morning press conference.
A plan to place tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge is nothing more than "a failure of leadership," said Congressional candidate Brendan Doherty. Doherty, who is running as a Republican candidate for the First Congressional District, held a news conference Thursday morning on the Tiverton side of the new Sakonnet River Bridge. While surrounded from reporters from various media outlets, the Congressional candidate spoke about how bridge tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge will harm the local economy. "It (bridge tolls) is an economic impediment. Those that live in Little Compton and Tiverton might think twice before getting their coffee at the Custom House or their groceries at Clements' Market, or traveling to beautiful downtown …
Brendan Doherty, candidate for the first Congressional Distrcit, will hold a news conference discussing his views on the Sakonnet River Bridge toll today at 9:30 a.m.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Erin Tiernan
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Thursday, September 6, 2012
First Congressional District candidate Brendan Doherty will hold a news conference discussing his concerns about the planned $4.00 tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge today at 9:30 a.m. Doherty will suggest federal remedies for reforms that could provide relief over the new planned tolls. East Bay and Aquidneck Island residents are infuriated over the prospect of having to pay tolls to cross the new bridge. The new bridge will open soon connecting Tiverton with Aquidneck Island and will serve drivers throughout the region. In a press release, Doherty called the $4.00 toll another economic roadblock for the region. Some families fear the toll could cost them $1,500 to $2,500 a year, a real blow to families who must rely on the bridge …
Jim L
1:49 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2013
thank you Mr Seveney, just outstanding news and I hope it's just more ammo to keep the GA and RITBA from pulling a fast on the citizens of Newport County more ›