Rhode Island Legislature Ends Session Without Acting on Truck-Toll Bill

June 29, 2015 6:00 PM, EDT

Rhode Island’s Legislature ended its 2015 session on June 26 without taking action on several pending bills, including one that would have authorized tolls on large commercial trucks to finance a $600 million revenue bond to pay for bridge repairs across the state.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello had indicated he had concerns about pushing the truck-toll plan through in the final days of the session.

The Providence Journal said the House might revisit the toll proposal during a special session this fall. The state Senate earlier had approved a version of Gov. Gina Raimondo’s “RhodeWorks” plan that would raise $60 million to $100 million a year beginning in 2017 from the installation of 17 to 22 tolling gantries.

The tolling plan has been opposed by the Rhode Island Trucking Association, even after the revised plan offered $13.5 million in tax credits and fuel and property tax rebates to Rhode Island-based truckers and shipping companies.