My family and my friends that visit us weekly will not be able to do this. Which means the children they come to see who are there nephews, Godchildren, grandchildren will not be able to get to see there family.And the grandparents that get visited weekly will not be able to have the visits because of the expence of a toll. And the children will suffer for this.
We are a very close family and this has become a great part of their lives being with the family.
Also we will be hit with higher prices on our groceries, gas, oil, going out to eat, clothes shopping, etc because all these items will go up because of there delivery of these items over the birdge. We already pay a higher price for everything for living here now we will be penalized even more because of a toll. I do not think this is fair to us here on the Island or those of us who have to travel daily back and forth to work every day to work here. I know a few business's here that will not make it if there is a toll put on this bridge. We hear every day vote for me we will make new jobs for everyone in RI. Not here we will loose many jobs here in RI because of this. STOP THIS TOLL PLEASE>

I am a disabled woman with limited finances. Having a toll on this bridge only adds more limitations to my already limited lifestyle. Not to mention that my CNA lives in Massachusetts, which means an extra eight dollars a day to come and care for me. This toll is going to do more damage than good. Once again, our politicians have put the elderly and low income people at the bottom of their agendas. Our politicians couldn't live on one day what we try to live on for an entire month. They will never be on the other side of the coin, because of their massive retirement pensions. They are making bad decisions concerning the voters. We put you in office to make changes for the good, not to make things more difficult. This toll on the bridge is not going to benefit the people, only the government. When are you going to start putting the needs of the people first?

Catherine , I hear almost the same exact story from folks from RI who work in RI, Elderly folks from Cranston or East Providece, who work on Aquidneck island, I stand there and think this could be my mom the DOT and the GA is doing this to them,, I think this poor woman If she can save the money ($35.00) for a transponder then she will still be paying over $30.00 dollars a month to go to work, and if she can,t get the transponder she's just out of a job she need's bad. That's why we do this, because it's all of us, the DOT and the GA want to turn MILLIONS over to a private company because they won't and don't do their jobs, And the GA just handed them the right to do it If any ri resident wants to leave or go to Newport county they will need a transponder, Oh WAIT, we can go thru Bristol Warren RIGHT, I don't see the state backing down, what I do see is STOP and donttoll getting bigger, I never thought I'd say this but , toss the bums out go republicain, see if they laff election night
And Chaffee should go to if he sticks to this

We need this toll so that the bridges are maintained. For those that say they cannot afford the toll, then how are they surviving today? Would a toll really have an impact on one's financial situation? The question should be asked prior to crying fowl - how much is the toll? If it is 4.00 then that's a lot of money - like the Newport bridge, if it is less than a dollar, then to me that is reasonable.

To join the effort to stop the tolls, there are a number of ways to help. Portsmouth businesses who are not members of the Portsmouth Business Association can join the PBA and give us a stronger voice. Join on line at www.portsmouthbiz.com. Tiverton has formed a group called TIVERTON STOP. Click on this link for more details. http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/tiverton-stop-launch-meeting-unites-town. Recently, the Common Fence Point Improvement Association joined STOP which is Sakonnet Tolls Opposition Platform. For more information on how to join the effort, call me at 682-2007..

Everyone and anyone can do anything they want to, to stop the tolls. The bottom line is, is that it's to late! Something should of been done a year or more ago before the bridge was signed over to the RIDOT. There's about as much of a chance of stopping the tolls as Island Park had to stop the toxic waste be piled up in the old dump. Good luck and I'm against the tolls also. I'm even thinking of selling my house and moving out of this tax ridin town and state that has horrible leadership!!!!!

John: The tourist tax was stopped as was the LNG. The process that got the bridges to go to RITBA can be reversed. But it takes a civilized, large, well-coordinated effort which we are trying to do now. And one might argue it is more than tolls. It is about government budgeting and spending. There are state taxes coming out of our electric bills, cell phone bills, cable bills. There is the license fee, registration fee, car taxes and gas taxes. Many believe that we can find $12-15 million dollars a year to maintain the four big bridges to the island in an $8.8 billion dollar budget.

Not all the people of Newport pay that toll George, and to portray it that way is not real, This is not just a simple toll issue, It's about Newport county becomeing an Atm for RI, It's about the GA being foolish enough to think giving away millions of dollars to a company the state has no control over while thinking they will find away to siphon the excess off, In the meantime the residents of Newport county pay the frieght because the DOT thinks the sakoneet bridge is just jammed with tourists, Thats just not true! We live here, we know it, the IWAY has more traffic and tourist and the funds came from the same place TOLL that and send Newport the money

There should be NO TOLLS on any bridge. It's an unequal way to collect money for our roads and bridges. There's many other ways to collect money from everyone to contribute towards the expenses for maintaining our roads and bridges. By putting up tolls there's only a hand full of people contributing. I cross the bridge 4 times a day at least. That's 4 x 7=28 and times that by 82 cents and that's $22.96 a week and times that by 52 weeks and that's $1193.22 a year in tolls for me. Nice!!!! How much is Joe from Providence contributing? That's the problem! He's not! Raise the taxes again on gas. It dose take gas to drive over a bridge or down the road. Or tax our electric? Just tax something that everyone uses! Not just a handful of people. Aquidneck Island business doomed!!!! Flo's drive in, in Island park for instance. Alot of people from Fall River go there. Once the tolls go up, do you think there still going to go there?Everlans is going to make out like a bandit. LOL.

Everyone needs to recognize that there is a need for shared responsibility of all users of Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority (RIBTA) maintained bridges. If there is a toll on the Newport and Sakonnet River bridges there should also be toll on the Jamestown and Mount Hope bridges. The tolls should be established so they are only incurred one way, approaching an island with no toll leaving an island.

We should End the Rhode Island Turnpike And Bridge Authority... This would save the state millions of dollars... All they do is waste 7 Million Dollars yearly, to bid on roadwork and pay down very little to nothing on road bonds. The RIDOT has people in place that does this on a daily basis. Chafee should end the RITBA!!! NO TOLLS

The Sakonnet Bridge Toll will have a severe negative impact on Aquidneck Island
I commute daily over this bridge and would use easy pass when and if available
It is a solution for me, one I am not thrilled to have to do but..workable as in most
economic problems many face in this downturn economy, we have to sacrifice but..
the real bad scenario will be the impact on businesses on the island- It will be a
place to avoid if you can"costs too much money to get there' A decline in popularity could prove to have a devastating outcome to a state that is already in need of
some type of upswing To overtax and overcharge cannot be the answer Hopefully this toll can be stopped before it overburdens the already hard hit residents who
commute here whether for work or pleasure. There must be another solution or the problems we face in this RI SE MASS area are only going to worsen The only solution may be to move into another geographic area so life will be more cost
friendly with growth and prosperity instead of bills and a no win solution for the people.

All the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is another government agency collecting taxes from the People. Tolls are taxes and taxes only go up and the State is wasting 7 million dollars a year on more government. Many many people on this Island are struggling to pay for gasoline and utility bills, food, housing, Medicine and Chafee wants a new toll tax. Chafee should end the RITBA or fund any shortfall from gas tax and car registration, License Tax, yes these are taxes too... We need equal level funding on Aquidneck Island it's Our Constitutional RIGHT. NO TOLLS!!!

I was in Hess in Middletown, just yesterday and a woman in her thirties with a child came in and payed five dollars in dimes nickles and quarters for Gasoline. How is this mother going to afford to pay for a toll??? It's So SAD...

If you look at all Aquidneck Island Roads and Bridges in terms of miles of Roadway. We have the least amount of State Roadways, Bridges in terms of miles in the Entire State. We have The Pell Toll which generates about $ 18,400,000.00 in tax revenue yearly and Chafee wants more taxes on the Sakonnet RIver Bridge. We have the least amount of roadway miles and pay the most in terms of toll taxes. Double taxation, tax inequality.

Economic Study!!!! Again more ways to improve RI business climate1 NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THE NEW TOLLS. It's like they don't exist, it's the name that must not even be whispered by anyone upstate! Everytime I read anything about how we are the WORST state in America for businesses nobody says a word about the fact that the busineeses that preform the best in RI are about to get HAMMERED by the rest of the state, I mean really, will we have to take up pitchforks and torch's and march to the Capitol, 30,000.00 thousand voters and rising, 243 places of business and our reps and upstate still go "SO WHAT!" Do you think Ma would ever be stupid enough to slap a TOLL on Cape Cod, and do you think the Cape would put up with it, We need someone to ride thru the streets of Newport couny yelling the Ga is coming, the Ga is coming, and instead of going to Lexington for gun powder their coming To Newport County for dollars we need!! NO TOLLS

Attention Portsmouth Business Owners! If you have been contacted by any firm doing a survey on the economic impact of putting tolls on the Sakonnet Bridge, please let me know. I can be reached at 682-2007.

They aren't done either. They will toll the Mt Hope soon enough because they can now.

I'd like to see the Jamestown tolled also. Those people whined like spoiled kids when the Newport tolls were going up to support the Mt Hope. Who supports the Jamestown bridge maintenance? It's already needed significant repairs.

just raise the price on the town dump

OK rkj. Maybe I will buy the dump and the bridge? Get a grip!