Revised RI truck toll proposal

 By: Melissa Randall
Mrandall@abc6.com
@ABC6

Commercial truckers are angry with the proposed tolls in Rhode Island and they’re now fighting back. Now it looks like their efforts are working. On Tuesday evening a scaled downed version of the original “Rhode Works” plan was released with some significant changes.

The 1.1 billion dollar plan to fix the state’s highways and bridges includes tolling commercial trucks at 17 t0 20 locations across the state. Local truckers say the proposal unfairly targets the industry.

“We’re willing to pay our fair share– but this is anything but fair,” sais Pat Thomas of the American Trucking Association.

Currently about a quarter of Rhode Island‘s overpasses and bridges are structurally deficient. Governor Gina Raimondo says trucks are responsible for a majority of the damage.

“The deplorable conditions of our roads and bridges was not brought on by heavy trucks, or a lack of funding, but by decades of neglect, lack of maintenance and most of all an ongoing robbery of highway funding,” said Christopher Maxwell, President of the Rhode Island Trucking Association.

Instead of tolls RITA is urging the governor to raise the gas tax on all drivers. Raimondo did revise the plan Tuesday removing smaller trucks like those that pick up garbage or deliver oil from the toll list. Also under the amendment the number of times the fee would be assessed to large trucks would be limited to once per location per day in each direction.

“We’re going through the legislative process and are sensitive to the concerns of local trucking companies so we are looking for some ways that we might be able to lessen the burden,” said Raimondo.

Edward Lanfredi, President of J.F. Moran Trucking in Smithfield, says any added fee would have unintended consequences.

“It’s a cost that’s not figured into our rates and it’s a cost that’s going to have to be passed on. And it gets added on to the price of the product,” he explained.

The tolls are expected to generate 100 million annually to pay for the $700 million bond. It’s unclear how the changes will impact that bond.

Rhode Works looks to save tax payers 1 billion dollars by addressing problems now. Supporters say the plan has the potential to create thousands of jobs and make the state a more attractive place for business.

If the plan is approved by the General Assembly those fee’s could be in place by 2016 or 2017.

State legislators are taking up the funding plan for the first Tuesday night.

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