Cumberland’s Murray talks tolls with state’s legislators
Another meeting with R.I. DOT on tap for Wednesday
CUMBERLAND — Mayor William Murray had his sit-down with several local state legislators on Saturday and now is awaiting a meeting with Rhode Island Department of Transportation and state administration officials on Wednesday to learn more about plans for a state highway toll gantry on Route 295.
Murray has voiced concern that the state’s plans to construct one of 14 planned highway toll collection points for large trucks will have a significant impact on local businesses and traffic patterns in the Route 295 Route 114 interchange area.
Gov. Gina Raimondo has proposed the new state highway tolling system as a way to raise approximately $60 million a year that could then be applied to maintaining the highway bridges and overpasses most affected by large trucks.
Murray met with Representatives James McLaughlin and Mia Ackerman and Senators Roger Picard and Ryan Pearson at Town Hall on Saturday as way to learn more about the state’s plans for the new tolling system.
Representatives Robert Phillips and Karen MacBeth were not available to attend the session.
“It was just an informal meeting on what was going on and what we had to look into,” he said.
“I think the bottom line is that we need the money for the bridges and we also need to see if there are any other ways to get it,” Murray said.
The state Department of Transportation has released preliminary details on the proposal such as the possible locations of the toll plazas and plans for who will be taxed, but also indicated that information on the amount of toll fees on trucks won’t be finalized until legislation allowing the new system is enacted by the General Assembly.
That leaves a number of questions pending as to how the gantry scanning equipment will be able to identify the targeted trucks to be assessed tolls from other traffic passing through the locations or whether all vehicles using Rhode Island roads will be required to mount transponder equipment be exempt from tolling or to be charged as required under the proposed legislation.
North Smithfield Town Administrator Paulette Hamilton on Monday joined Murray in saying the state will need to provide more information on its plans for tolling in the weeks ahead but also indicated she does support the need for the proposed toll gantries, even the one on Route 146 at Greenville Road in her community.
“I’m interested in hearing more about it,” Hamilton said.
“We need to look for more infrastructure money and I think we have to look at it,” Hamilton said of the toll collection plan. Local residents only have to look at the infrastructure issue in their own community to see the size of the problem the state is facing with its needed bridge and overpass improvements, she said.
“We have to find a better and more permanent solution for raising this money not only for our current needs but also for the expenses we are going to face in the future,” Hamilton said.