Revised RhodeWorks truck toll plan features lower tolls, fewer tolling locations

PROVIDENCE – A revised proposal for RhodeWorks that takes into account additional federal funds for transportation, and which eliminates a reliance on toll-backed revenue bonding, will be introduced Thursday, according to legislative leaders and Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.
The new plan would continue to collect tolls from heavy commercial trucks to help finance the reconstruction and repair of Rhode Island bridges, overpasses and roads. But the amount of the tolls and the number of tolling locations would be reduced.
In addition, the amount of borrowing required would be cut in half, from the original plan for $600 million to $300 million, according to the proposal announced by Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport.
The revision was made possible, the leaders indicated, by new federal funding that will reduce the state’s burden. Rhode Island is expected to receive $258 million more than anticipated last year over a 10-year period.
Under the revised plan, tolling locations would be reduced from 17 to 14 spots in Rhode Island, and the typical toll amount would be cut from $3.50 to $3. A proposed cap on what it would cost a truck to cross the state will be reduced from $30 to $20, although this provision will not be included in the legislation.
What hasn’t changed: the tolls would be collected from large commercial trucks, to be defined in the legislation as those in Class 8 or above. And the tolls would not apply to passenger vehicles or SUVs. Under the new proposal, tolling on passenger vehicles will be expressly prohibited, and a statewide referendum would be required if that were to change.
The plan is expected to be introduced in the House today by Majority Leader John DeSimone and in the Senate by Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio.
The revisions come after months of intense criticism of the original RhodeWorks proposal by the trucking industry, state Republican Party leaders and others concerned about the new tolls.
Under the new proposed financing, the $600 million in toll-backed revenue bonds will be scuttled and replaced with $300 million in bonds backed by federal transportation appropriations.
This will reduce interest payments by 65 percent, according to political leaders who introduced the agreement.
“Because of new federal funding, we were able to strengthen the proposal,” Raimondo said, in a statement. “We’ve lowered the maximum truck toll amount, decreased the number of gantries and significantly reduced the state’s interest payments.”
In a statement, the president of the Rhode Island Trucking Association said a preliminary review of the new proposal indicates it would reduce the fees imposed on the industry, but that the association remains “fundamentally opposed to tolling.”
“We continue to believe an increase to the diesel tax and truck registration fees would be a more efficient way to address this problem with far less administrative costs and risks,” said Chris Maxwell, president of the Rhode Island Trucking Association.

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  1. Tolling is not needed to repair Rhode Island’s bridges and roads. Rhode Island should fund the repair of its bridges and roads by reducing its tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to 20 cents per gallon. Many vehicles that now pass through RI would stop and buy their fuel in RI because RI would have the lowest fuel prices in New England. Local truck stops and gas stations, located near Interstate highway ramps, would expand and improve their facilities to attract customers. Employment at RI’s fueling stations would increase. The number of gallons of fuel sold in RI each year would more than double. Last year, 439 million gallons of fuel was sold in Rhode Island which produced $140.6 million in fuel taxes. 878 million gallons at 20 cents per gallon would produce $176 million in fuel taxes which is more than enough to repair Rhode Island’s roads and bridges.