Poll: Nearly 76% say state does not spend enough on roads, bridges

A NEW poll from the Bryant University Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership found support for Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's Rhode Island Promise free college tuition plan.
A NEW poll from the Bryant University Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership found support for Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's Rhode Island Promise free college tuition plan.

(Updated 3:21 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – A new poll shows that the majority of Rhode Islanders think the state spends too little on road and bridge maintenance and that they also want the Pawtucket Red Sox to remain in Rhode Island, but they do not want to be taxed on either initiative.
The public leadership poll was conducted by the Bryant University Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership, which released the results Tuesday.
It showed that nearly 76 percent of those surveyed said the state does not spend enough on road and bridge maintenance, but 70 percent said they would not support an increased gas tax for repairs.
Nearly 53 percent said they supported a toll for large trucks, with 21.1 percent saying they strongly support it, and 31.5 percent saying they are somewhat supportive. However, 43 percent said they oppose it.

In related news, the joint House and Senate Republican Policy Group is holding a press conference Wednesday at the State House to present a 10-year bridge repair plan. The plan eliminates the need for tolls and provides more funds for bridge repair at lower cost than Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s proposal, according to a release from the R.I. House of Representatives.
As for the poll, 63.3 percent said they think it is important for the PawSox to stay in Rhode Island, but 74.2 percent are opposed to taxpayer assistance for a new Providence ballpark.
A total of 38.5 percent believe the state is moving in the right direction, compared with 40.5 percent who say it is moving in the wrong direction. That’s an improvement from April, when 32.8 percent of respondents said the state is moving in the right direction.
In the latest poll, more Democrats than Republicans and Independents felt the state is moving in the right direction, 54.9 percent compared with 32.2 percent and 23 percent, respectively.
Of the state’s 665,789 active voters, there are 263,342 Democrats, 68,907 Republicans and 331,461 who are unenrolled. There also are 2,079 moderates, according to the state Elections Office.
Among the most important problems facing the state, job opportunities ranked highest at 30.8 percent, followed by taxes at 15.4 percent and government corruption, 14.4 percent. The results are similar to the April survey results.
Regarding education, 59.8 percent said public schools are average or below in providing children with tools for 21st-century jobs, while 51.4 percent said there is too much focus on standardized testing and 45.7 percent said too little money is spent on K-12 education.
In addition, 53.1 percent said they support more charter schools, while 36.2 percent said they do not support more charter schools because they take away money from existing public schools.
The survey was conducted Sept. 19 through 21 with a sample of 403 registered Rhode Island voters. The margin of error is +/- 4.9 percent. This is the second of three polls that the Hassenfeld Institute and Fleming Associates will conduct this year.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Rhode Island spends plenty, quite the contrary, but it’s the bang for the buck that we don’t get. So much is lost to inefficiency, mismanagement, consultants, design and construction errors that the funds get all eaten up. To make matters worse, the nation’s smallest state has two separate road authorities RIBTA and RIDOT with all the costs and duplication and bureaucracy they bring.

  2. To get a large number of truck drivers to buy their fuel in Rhode Island, the state should allow truck stops to be built on I-295 and at the northern and southern ends of I-95 in Rhode Island. Next, Rhode Island should lower its tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to 20 cents per gallon. Because Rhode Island would have the lowest fuel price, the number of gallons of fuel sold in Rhode Island each year would more than triple and a large number of truck drivers who pass through Rhode Island would buy their fuel in Rhode Island. In addition, every driver and every business in Rhode Island would get a tax break.

  3. To get a large number of truck drivers to buy their fuel in Rhode Island, the state should allow truck stops to be built on I-295 and at the northern and southern ends of I-95 in Rhode Island. Next, Rhode Island should lower its tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to 20 cents per gallon. Because Rhode Island would have the lowest fuel price, the number of gallons of fuel sold in Rhode Island each year would more than triple and a large number of truck drivers who pass through Rhode Island would buy their fuel in Rhode Island. In addition, every driver and every business in Rhode Island would get a tax break.