Plan to pay for repairs of R.I. bridges too costly

To the Editor,
The present plan to pay for the repairs of Rhode Island’s bridges is too complicated and too costly. This tolling plan requires very expensive tolling infrastructure. In addition, the bureaucracy to provide the tax credits, the fuel and property tax rebates and the direct grants to shipping companies would be very costly. Lastly bonding cost would add over 500 million dollars to the construction costs.
Rhode Island should take advantage of the fact that there are about one million registered vehicles in Rhode Island. A 20 dollar surcharge one each vehicle liability insurance policy sold in Rhode Island would raise 20 million dollars each year. A two cent increase in Rhode Island’s fuel tax would raise at least 12 million dollars each year. Lastly a 10% increase in vehicle registration fees would raise at least 3 million dollars each year. These funds plus federal transportation matching funds would provide at least 100 million dollars each year for the next six years to cover the cost to repair Rhode Island’s bridges and the total construction cost would be reduced by almost 50% because no bonding or interest fees would be required.
Kenneth Berwick
Smithfield