Rhode Island’s truck tolls could burden Connecticut roads

From New London Day.

Rhode Island has moved forward with truck-only tolls, and there’s some concern regarding the effects of this decision on truck drivers and the trucking industry in Connecticut.

“We have to remember, trucking is interstate commerce, so you have truck drivers and trucking companies from all over the country that come here,” said Joseph Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut. “For many folks, it is probably very possible that you can go around Rhode Island. … It could mean more traffic on our roads, especially eastern Connecticut, I-395, for example.”

In an effort to raise money for RhodeWorks, a statewide infrastructure initiative spearheaded by Gov. Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island passed a bill allowing truck-specific tolls in February 2016.

On Monday, the inaugural two tolls opened.

Both are on Interstate 95, one close to Exit 2 and Hopkinton, and the other near Exit 5 and Exeter, about a 10- to 20-minute drive from North Stonington. The Exit 2 toll charges $3.25, the Exit 5 toll $3.50. The system is electronic, so it doesn’t require stopping, and tolls are paid through E-ZPass or bills sent by mail.

Over the next year and a half, Rhode Island plans to add 12 more tolling places to the two already up and running and anticipates the tolls will generate $450 million during a 10-year period.

David Roche, the managing director of Jewelers Shipping Association in Cranston, R.I., and officials from other Rhode Island trucking companies told the Providence Journal in 2016 that Interstates 395 and 84 in Connecticut would be common alternative options for drivers who wish to avoid the tolls.

See the full story from the New London Day online.