RITBA Board to Seek Legislation For Tolls on Mount Hope Bridge
The board also voted to rescind the toll changes, which are effective July 1, should the Rhode Island General Assembly pass legislation in this session that would provide RITBA with “an alternative and sufficient source of revenue.”
Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority board of directors voted today during its monthly board meeting for new toll rates for the Newport Pell Bridge as well as a request of the Rhode Island General Assembly to allow RITBA to set toll rates for the Mount Hope Bridge.
The rates that were approved by the board are $1.00 per crossing for residents with a RI E-ZPass and $5.00 per crossing for cash and undiscounted E-ZPass. The added revenue, RITBA says, will help pay for the $250 million needed to fund RITBA’s capital projects in the 10-year Renewal and Replacement Plan.
Importantly, the board also voted to rescind the toll changes on the Pell Bridge, which are effective July 1, should the Rhode Island General Assembly pass legislation in this session that would provide RITBA with “an alternative and sufficient source of revenue.”
Last month, the board had tabled a vote on a toll increase at the request of R.I. Department of Transportation Director Michael Lewis, who is a voting RITBA board member. Since that January 18 meeting, the Governor has announced his support for legislation to transfer the ownership of the Sakonnet River Bridge and the Jamestown Verrazano Bridge to RITBA and to toll the former. The plan also includes the possibility of tolling I-95 at exit 3.
“The two bridges in our care require significant repair and maintenance work to ensure that they remain safe,” said David Darlington, chairman of the board, in a release “We believe it’s important to allow drivers impacted by the new rates a sufficient amount of time to plan their budgets for the new toll structure. Should the Turnpike and Bridge Authority be mandated to add tolls to other properties and that toll revenue suffices for all the assets in our care, then the tolls on the Newport Pell Bridge will automatically remain at their current levels.”
In October, RITBA held four meetings on Aquidneck Island, gathering opinions from businesses and residents about the feasibility of reinstituting tolls on the Mount Hope Bridge and increasing toll rates on the Newport Pell Bridge.
Darlington explained that a large contingent of the public support re-tolling the Mount Hope Bridge because they believe that Newport Pell Bridge users unfairly bear the revenue burden and that parity is overdue.
Nancy L. Richard
12:29 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
It is stated that Darlington feels that a large contingent of the public support re-tolling the Mt. Hope Bridge. His figures are skewed! I don't know where he gets his statistics from, but if you ask anyone north of the Mt. Hope bridge, you'll get a completely different set of "facts". It's bad enough that Rhode Island has one of the highest tax rates in the country. I for one, will consider moving out of Rhode Island, rather than be subjected to more incompetency and corruption.
East side
12:46 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Yes, Nancy you should consider moving, will you take the Newport Bridge and pay the toll on the way south or pay the toll on the Mass Pike heading north?
Editor
5:18 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Mt. Hope Bridge is a LOCAL Bridge tying the University/Marine Trades/Family and should not be tolled. I would hate to pay but favor tolling the Sakonnet Bridge and leaving the Mt. Hope alone. This would generate the most revenue, and we would be guaranteed that that money would be reinvested in our community. This is reality. Now I go over the Sakonnet Bridge twice a day - NOT the Mt. Hope; but, I feel this is the right balance. Let's fight for the right toll as $5/$1 seems expensive for the Sakonnet crossing.
Will Museler
7:15 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
STOP!!!! Stop trying to come up with new revenue streams and work spend with in our means. Focus on the corruption and mismanagement of DOT and eliminate RIBTA as a redundant entity. Take the gas tax out of the general fund and start putting the money where it was intended.
DownTown
1:54 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
RIBTA will spend $6 million for a new toll booth on the Mt Hope just so a few relatives can sit and watch the cars drive by 24/7.
If they toll the Sakonnet and the Mt Hope I'll move to Massachusetts where I work. There are no toll roads or bridges in southeastern MA or the Cape.
Shirley
1:11 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
If I remember correctly, the toll on the Mt. Hope bridge can't be more than (I believe .50) because of the stipulations made by the Vanderbilts when the bridge was given to the state. That being said, if tolls are put on the Sakonnet or Mt. Hope bridges, How much revenue will be generated after the toll keepers are paid and the traffic dwindles? Boy, this state really has things backwards. Less taxes brings people to the state thereby generating more revenues. Why don't they just think about that? I don't know the politicians in this state know how to think things through.
Mark D
6:24 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
First off the Vanderbilts didn't give the bridge to the state. It was owned by the Mt Hope Bridge Corp that went out of business that is how the state received it. Second the maximum toll for the bridge by law is 30 cents hence the reason the RITBA has to have new legislation passed. Third the amount of people that keep talking about toll takers is astounding. There will be no toll booth no collectors no slowing down, it is called open road tolling. Fourth the Mt Hope bridges gets 0 thats Zero funds from the state of RI or the federal gov't, all their revenue comes from the tolls on the Newport bridge. I just wish people would really gather the right information before just blindly posting.
DownTown
7:42 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Follow your own advice Mark D.
The legislature abolished any toll on the bridge in the 1998 and RIBTA has already stated publicly that they will build a toll booth at a cost of $6 million if the legislature allows a toll there again.
They don't need the legislature to raise tolls which is why they can raise the toll on the Newport whenever they want. If the legislature hadn't abolished the toll on the Mt Hope RIBTA would have raised the toll at that time. The GA and Governor Almond acted in embarrassment when it was shown that the cost of the toll collectors was more than they collected. Showing it was about the jobs not the money.
I can even outline how the tolls were abolished because I played a small role in that.
There will be employees there 24/7 the same as there are on the Newport bridge.
The Mt Hope Bridge company went into receivership in 1931, 2 years after it was opened and Haffenreffer the brewer of the beer by the same name took it over till 1955 when the state bought the bridge.
Mark D
7:59 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Downtown Straight from Portsmouth patch reporting "In the authority's proposal to bring tolls back to the Mt. Hope Bridge for the first time in years, "All Electronic Tolling" (AET) would be implemented, cutting out the need for toll booth workers. The toll system would rely entirely upon an elecontronic system like E-ZPass and cameras. According to Darlington, this would be a reasonable alternative to toll booths because it would not slow down traffic." So where is the toll booths.
Second from WPRO "The measure approved by the authority also will put in a request to the General Assembly to allow the authority to set the toll rate for Mount Hope Bridge. If the authority is allowed to set the rate then it is likely that tolls will return to the Mount Hope Bridge." As of right now they are not legally able to set the rate on the Mt Hope Bridge.
DownTown
8:04 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Here is an article which discusses RIBTA moving to an open road tolling plan and GUESS WHAT they'll still have toll booths and collectors!!
http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2011-03-17/Front_Page/Openroad_tolling_at_Pell_Bridge.html
Although the middle lanes would open up for traffic, Dar- lington said that the outside lanes would remain the same. “There will still be two lanes on each side that will have toll booths and toll collectors,” he said. “The far outside lane will be used for oversized vehicles.”
The Shill
8:08 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Let the state dot take over the bridge then when it falls into Mt. Hope Bay everyone can pay the fee to take the ferry.
Mark D
8:16 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
However Downtown the plan for the Mt Hope Bridge is all open road tolling. I think it is stupid for them to only go half way on the Newport bridge. I used open road tolling in Florida and it was great just kept driving 65 right through the tolls and they send you a bill, if you don't have a sun pass.
DownTown
8:33 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
They can plan all they want for the toll on the Mt Hope.
It's not happening.
Where is the toll on the $185 million dollar Jamestown Bridge? That already needed extensive repair in 2007. Who paid for that? I think I've been on that bridge twice. Funny the people in Jamestown squawk about the Newport toll paying for the Mt Hope maintenance but they must think Jamestown Bridge repairs come from the tooth fairy.
Mark D
8:36 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Open road tolling is relatively new I don't know if it was available in 2010 or not feasible however all current plans call for AET as state by Darlington "All Electronic Tolling" (AET) would be implemented, cutting out the need for toll booth workers. The toll system would rely entirely upon an elecontronic system like E-ZPass and cameras. According to Darlington, this would be a reasonable alternative to toll booths because it would not slow down traffic." Quoted from Portsmouth Patch
http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/state-proposes-52-cent-toll-to-cross-mt-hope-bridge-2924b29f
There are no toll booths involved!
DownTown
8:39 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Are we using Patch as a news reference here? The study I posted shows a toll booth.
Mark D
8:38 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
The cost for retolling the bridge as of Oct 6 2011 when it was posted in Portsmouth Patch "In all, Darlington said, the toll system would cost around $3.3 million for toll infrastructure and toll collection, and would bring in about $4.6 million per year in revenue – enough to cover bridge maintenence expenses."
Mark D
8:43 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
THe patch reference was a quote of Darlington the director of RITBA. You are posting a two year old study, which has been made obsolete by AET. A lot can happen in two years. WHen I was in Florida last year Open road tolling was just being implemented and all the toll booths were being removed.
DownTown
9:24 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
I posted the only study made which carries more weight than what a lifelong government employee says.
I can guarantee you some slug will get paid to sit their regardless of what Darlington says.
Mark D
8:46 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Also if they end up tolling the Sakonnet River bridge the RITBA will be given the Jamestown bridge and the Sakonnet bridge also and will be responsible for their upkeep, However upwards of $15 million per year will be directed to road maintenance for east bay communities.
DownTown
8:53 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
A little history here.
In the late 90's a man from Texas went over the Mt Hope as part of a family visit and when he got back to Texas he did some math and found the cost of collecting the tolls was higher than what they collected. He emailed Projo and I believe it was Mark Patinkin who had a business column who published the figures and Governor Almond agreed to look into it. Well 6 months passed and I emailed Patinkin about it.
He wrote another story and again Almond agreed to look at it. 6 more months passed and nothing so I emailed Patinkin yet again and this time Almond looked at it and the national media was beginning to look at it. RIBTA said they would raise the tolls to $1 but it was too late and the state stripped RIBTAs ability to collect a toll on the Mt Hope out of embarrassment for the actions of RIBTA.
My money is on the GA voting against reestablishing the Mt Hope bridge tolls.
There are 600+ bridges in this state and at least two are as big or bigger than the Mt Hope and have no tolls either. As someone else brought up part of the high cost here for a suspension bridge is to allow large ship traffic - make them pay a toll.
Mark D
8:59 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Well thank you to the man from Texas and you. I am all for better fairer Ideas However I live in the shadow of the bridge in order for the RITBA to make enough money off ships would have to be tens of thousands per crossing there just isn't enough large traffic. The state choose to allow shipping after all it is one of the states life lines.
DownTown
9:12 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Shipping that goes under the Mt Hope goes to Fall River.
You don't see an issue of fairness here for East Bay residents? Central Falls gets more state aid than Newport and Bristol Counties combined. Every 4 years they get $160 million - enough to build a new Sakonnet every 4 years.
Providence gets $230 million in state aid every year! Why are they looking at putting tolls here and on the CT-RI border? Because those are two places that get stepped on on a regular basis.
Outside of the new Sakonnet bridge, which the state is bound that we pay for, name some large capital project where the state is spending money here?
There is a thousand times more traffic that HAS to travel over the new Washington Bridge and the i-way in Providence than over all the area bridges here.
No toll there though. Why not?
No toll on the Jamestown Bridge either. Why not? As I said its already needed extensive maintenance in 2007.
Mark D
9:07 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
I know you don't like quotes from the patch so here is one from the Providence Journal page 2 " The turnpike and Bridge Authority already has the authority to place tolls on the Mt Hope Bridge, but the rates were capped at very low rates--10 cents for commuters with tokens, 35 cents for those without. The authority is seeking authority to charges higher tolls." They never had the authority to raise the tolls the GA had to give them that authority. THe GA never stripped them of the ability they never had it. THey took the tolls down because they were useless.
DownTown
9:28 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
The toll booths were taken down because the GA and the Governor had them taken down. They were on state property not on the bridge but just after the bridge.
What has changed since then?
Mark D
9:22 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
I totally agree with you we get the shaft here and central falls and providence get everything. I just love the Mt Hope Bridge and I would hate to see it have the same fate as the sakonnet falling down and being replaced by something God awfully ugly. I personally believe in a pay as you go system that means all these bridges and the new one in providence our roads are crumbling, gas tax revenue is way down people goto massachusetts for fuel and cars are more fuel efficient. We need a better way.
DownTown
9:39 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Projo ran a story saying that the state would give RIBTA the new Sakonnet to maintain in exchange for bond proceeds. That money is earmarked for the other 600+ bridges in the state that most people in our area have never driven over.
So this pay as you go thing seems to work fine for the rest of the state but its pretty predatory here.
They shut the Mt Hope down for maintenance maybe 30 years ago, something they will likely do again when they need to, and it was great in Bristol with no traffic.
If they toll both the Sakonnet and the Mt Hope I will move because my employer provides an ez pass for me and I use it in MA where I work for the most part but it would be a very large cost for them to pay that for me to commute. Something like $7 or $8 one way?