Tolls could rise for Pell Bridge
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Toll Hikes
Tolls at the Claiborne Pell Bridge may be going up for some drivers.
NBC 10
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is proposing to increase tolls at the Pell Bridge for the first time in its 41-year history.
Published: July 1, 2009
Updated: July 2, 2009
JAMESTOWN, R.I.—Tolls on the Claiborne Pell Bridge may be going up for drivers who don’t own E-ZPass transponders purchased in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is proposing to increase tolls at the Pell Bridge for the first time in its 41-year history and to impose hikes every three years afterward.
The authority is also considering whether to study re-instituting tolls on the Mount Hope Bridge. The bridge has been free to cross since 1998.
According to a news release Wednesday, the toll to cross the Pell Bridge would increase from $2 to $4 for those paying cash. For those with E-ZPass transponders from out of state, the toll would go up from $1.75 to $4. Tolls for commercial vehicles would increase $1 per axle.
Owners of Rhode Island E-ZPass transponders will continue to be charged 83 cents per crossing. E-ZPass debuted in Rhode Island in January.
The authority said the fare increases are necessary to prevent a $223 million shortfall over the next 20 years.
“The safety of the bridge must remain our highest priority,“ authority chairman David Darlington said in a release. “We simply don’t have the resources necessary to maintain them without this increase.“
According to the release, Darlington will recommend that its board members hold a series of public hearings and adopt a plan to raise the tolls.
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Reader Reactions
Again, Smitty is right on the money. Why does RI have it’s own ‘unique’ but dumb solution here. EZ Pass should be standardized and you should be able to sail through the tolls if you use it, not stopped by a gate, that defeats half the purpose. If the state has some crazy fee structure for in or out of state drivers that is their choosing but why force drivers to go around the bay or skip the main tourist areas of the sate? As typical here in RI, a lot of these ‘solutions;‘ are not well thought out or pushed through by those with motives other than the good of all RI. This is one of the reasons why RI has the image it has. It’s controlled by a large group of self serving people (in my opinion of course).
This has nothing to do with the tolls.
Just another example of what the state of corruption is doing.
I have had vanity plates for many years
paying $120.00 every 2 years. Just received my new registration and it is
$181.50!!!
Needless to say I will be getting regular plates this year and heading to Florida as soon as I can!!!
I’m kinda surprised the Jamestown people aren’t up in arms about this—after all, most of their tourism crowd comes from Newport. I think Jamestown will be hurting more now—and the bridge authority is the state agency who will be putting that hurting on them.
This is UNREAL…... That Bridge makes alot more money than it seems. $2 a car does anyone know how many cars come across that Bridge aday. I do. Maybe they need to look into who is running the show and books over there. This increase is going to kill Newport!!! I can’t wait to see the decrease in traffic and how much it is going to hurt Newport Bussiness. People are going to go to Jamestown to go out. SORRY NEWPORT I WILL MISS YOU.
JoePJack1. Yes, I do. I am an out-of-stater that uses that bridge twice or three times a week. All the increases will do is hurt the people like myself who do use the bridge—but not enough for the almighty state government to consider ‘commuters’.
You want less traffic through Jamestown? This will do it. But—less traffic equals less tourism. Your statement about less wear and tear on the bridge is somewhat lame, though. Cars don’t cause as much wear and tear as weather, time—and heavy vehicles do. I’d wager that the
maintenance savings will not be as great as you think from the reduced car volume.
Do you remember back when the Mt. Hope had tolls, and you could buy tokens for either bridge at discounted rates—if you bought in quantity?
If the state would go to that type of sale for the volume users, they would be doing the smart thing—but their ‘resetting the clock’ at the
thirty one day mark is nothing but contrived robbery. Far better if they sold a block of transits (like the roll of tokens they used to sell)
and let the system count that down—but no, that would not bring in as much money.
With all the changes to taxes, fees—and tolls, Rhode Island is putting itself in the poor house faster than anything else would have.
“The authority said the fare increases are necessary to prevent a $223 million shortfall over the next 20 years.“
Don’t they realize that by increasing the tolls more people will boycott using the bridge meaning less travelers going over the bridge, therefore less money in the end? They are totally defeating the purpose.
Smitty…you have a lot to say.
Item 1..the gates on the lanes are there because they did not spring for the high speed cameras. So the gates are to slow you down that is their purpose.The technology is is availible. In dirty Jersey I cruse 65mph thru the express ez-pass lanes. The 15mph in RI is like the first generation technology.
Item 2… Ez-pass in state discount. Many states give such discounts to residents as well as rush hour discounts. But something that may set RI apart from them is the state constitution. Which PROHIBITS discrimination based on geographical location. And that is what this discount does. I am surprised no one has picked up on this and sued the state.
Item 3….Less traffic over the bridge equals less wear and tare, so less repairs. maybe not a bad thing?
Yeah Freak1—but with nothing—absolutely nothing—done from or by him. AAMAF, once Rhode Island was mentioned to Bush. He asked where in Iraq it was. LOL
If you don’t have a RI address, you’re going to pay $4.00 a pop even if you get a RI EZ pass trasnsponder. It seems that RI wants to soak out of state drivers to support their toll bridge.
A suggestion was made to do the same thing in Mass when the elimination of the Mass Pike tolls was being passed around. The concensus was that it would hinder tourism.
Seems that RI is going the route of NY—soaking everybody to support the road and bridge system—but letting its residents off nearly scott free.
NOW they revise the story to include out-of-state transponder rates.
Rhode Island is a state that practices highway robbery now—is it any wonder that they’re ACTUALLY GOING TO DO JUST THAT on their one and only toll road?
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