Tolls could rise for Pell Bridge

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.