Rhode Island House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan introduced legislation April 11 that would repeal the controversial RhodeWorks provision that allows tolling of commercial trucks within the state.
In introducing the measure, state Rep. Morgan said the Rhode Works bill is irresponsible and should never have passed last year.
“It is a $45 million albatross around the necks of Rhode Island consumers,” she said. “It will add to our already high cost of living, making it more difficult for average Rhode Islanders to keep their head above water. It will undoubtedly hurt our small businesses who are struggling to remain competitive with rivals in other states not burdened with the extra shipping costs. In other words it will had more weight to an economy that is already dead last."
Under the RhodeWorks plan, the state is preparing to implement truck-only tolls across 14 bridges throughout the state. No other state tolls only trucks and no state has tolled an entire network of Interstates. Rhode Island would be the first on both counts.
NATSO, the American Trucking Associations and the Rhode Island Trucking Association strongly oppose this bad public policy, which will hurt the state’s economy, drive up the cost of goods and jeopardize safety.
If truck-only tolls are allowed to move forward, truckstops and travel centers will suffer when trucks divert around tolls, ultimately changing the footprint of the supply chain and commerce.
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