EDITORIAL

Finding the right road

Posted 1/19/16

Everyone agrees something must be done – and soon – to address the condition of the state’s deficient bridges. There is anything but unanimity, however, regarding how best to finance the …

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EDITORIAL

Finding the right road

Posted

Everyone agrees something must be done – and soon – to address the condition of the state’s deficient bridges. There is anything but unanimity, however, regarding how best to finance the undertaking.

The debate has swirled since last spring, when Gov. Gina Raimondo unveiled her RhodeWorks proposal, which would use new tolls on large commercial trucks to pay off $600 million in borrowing for a flurry of infrastructure work. While the Senate approved the plan, the House, under Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, put on the brakes. The emergency closure of the Park Avenue railroad bridge in Cranston complicated and politicized the situation. The legislative session ended without a solution.

The debate simmered over several months, with questions raised over the financial aspects of Raimondo’s plan. Opposition grew – from citizens concerned over the potential future expansion of tolling to include other vehicles, and from industry groups and business-minded civic leaders who assert the plan would harm the state’s reputation and economy.

Raimondo and supporters of the plan stress the need for action, and maintain RhodeWorks will allow the state to fix its failing bridges while not further burdening taxpayers. Large commercial trucks, it is argued, cause virtually all vehicle-related wear and damage to the Ocean State’s roadways – and, as such, should bear the costs of repairs. The plan has also been presented as an investment in economic development and job creation.

Now, with lawmakers back in session, things have heated up. Tolls may have replaced the PawSox stadium proposal at the forefront of the state’s civic discourse, but the debate is just as passionate, and perhaps more so.

More details have become available, with the Raimondo administration having released a preliminary list of 14 locations for truck-tolling gantries across the state’s highways. Congressional approve of legislation that will provide additional federal transportation money for the state had changed the administration’s calculus, and brought the number of proposed gantries down from an initial tally of 17.

Alternative plans have also emerged, including that of Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan to redirect funding already in the state budget and eliminate the need for a bond. Mattiello, while supportive of the tolling concept, has expressed support for utilizing an alternate funding mechanism – a Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle, or GARVEE, through which the state would borrow against future federal transportation aid.

The situation remains fluid, and the debate charged. The final outcome appears uncertain, and election-year politics will no doubt continue to play a significant role going forward.

We applaud the governor for moving to address our state’s transportation infrastructure woes – an issue that, clearly, has been overlooked and mismanaged for far too long. We also agree, in principle, with the shifting of financial responsibility to those whose vehicles cause the most damage to our roads and bridges.

Yet we share some of the skepticism and concerns that have surrounded RhodeWorks. Is the tolling plan, as presented, truly the best course? What if the projected revenue does not materialize? How will such an enormous sum – more than $1 billion, interest included, over three decades – be repaid? Is the embattled Department of Transportation truly capable of completing the amount of work outlined in the plan within the projected budgets and timelines?

We all agree action is needed. No one wants to see, in Rhode Island, a repeat of a tragedy like that seen on the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis several years ago.

But the action taken must be well considered and prudent. An undertaking of such import much be done right.

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  • Ken B

    Thousands of RI drivers who live near the MA border buy their fuel in MA because fuel prices are 10 cents cheaper. Rhode Island should fund the repair of its bridges and roads by reducing its tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to 20 cents per gallon. Every RI driver, (private and business), would save 16 cents per gallon. Many vehicles that now pass through RI would stop and buy their fuel in RI because RI would have the lowest fuel prices in New England. Local truck stops and gas stations, located near Interstate highway ramps, would expand and improve their facilities to attract customers. Employment at RI’s fueling stations would increase. The cost of goods and services in RI would be reduced. The number of gallons of fuel sold in RI each year would more than double. Last year, 439 million gallons of fuel was sold in Rhode Island which produced $140.6 million in fuel taxes. 878 million gallons at 20 cents per gallon would produce $176 million in fuel taxes each year which is more than enough to repair Rhode Island’s roads and bridges. Repairing RI’s bridges could begin immediately. There would no waiting for the gantries or congressional approval.

    Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Report this