Residents To Rally Against Bridge Tolls in Portsmouth Tomorrow
After gaining hundreds of signatures in opposition to the proposed Sakonnet River Bridge tolls, a Tiverton woman is planning a rally at Clements' Marketplace in Portsmouth on Friday.
Tiverton resident Jeanne Smith is doing her part to fight the proposed tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge.
After circulating dozens of petitions at local businesses throughout Newport County and gaining hundreds of signatures, Smith will hold a rally on Friday in Portsmouth that she said will give visibility to those opposing the tolls.
The rally is slated to be held during the Friday, Aug. 10, taping of the WPRO's Buddy Cianci Show at Clements' Marketplace in Portsmouth from 3-6 p.m. Smith said demonstrators should grab their signs and gather in the parking lot.
"This has nothing to do with Buddy Cianci, but I figured maybe he could talk to us for five minutes, I thought it would be a good time to rally " said Smith. "There is a lot of traffic that goes by there at that time - Raytheon gets out at that time - so I figured it would give us some good vision."
Smith urges toll opposers to make signs, T-shirts, and anything else that will make some noise against the tolls on the $163.7 million replacement bridge.
While the state Department of Transportation will open the bridge to traffic later this month, the state Turnpike and Bridge Authority is on track to impose the tolls next summer. Out-of-state drivers would pay $4 and in-state EZ Pass holders would be charged 83 cents each way, the same fare as Newport's Claiborne Pell Bridge.
Stanley Martin
1:58 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I drive the newport bridge everyday. My wife drives the sakonnet bridge three days a week. Why not put up a toll? The only people that don't want it are the people that dont use the newport bridge. If they don't put one on the Sakonnett and we are share the sacrafice they will raise the newport toll keeping visitors out. I say quit the whinning Jeanne and pay like the rest of us.......
Dan Anton
8:30 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
I completely agree with you. I live in Jamestown, work in Middletown and take the Newport Bridge 7 days a week. They have a brand new bridge and think that it doesn't need to be paid for. I'm not one to encourage higher taxes, but people like myself have been paying for all of the bridges for years. What is the other option? Raise Newport Bridges toll? That's really fair!
Joe Sousa.
10:00 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Residents To Rally Against Bridge Tolls Friday
The rally is slated to be held during the Friday, Aug. 10, taping of the WPRO's Buddy Cianci Show at Clements' Marketplace in Portsmouth from 3-6 p.m.
We need people from all over Newport county to come and protest. Bring signs
How about we fund DOT and turn all the bridges over to the State. Then when the Newport Bridge is paid for take the toll off. We pay 54 cents a gallon gas tax. Why can't the State maintain the bridges.
Joe Sousa.
10:12 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The answer is and was to fix DOT. and fund it. The DOT has been a problem for decades yet we didn't try to fix the problem. We took the gas tax and spent it on free bus rides and welfare programs. 3.4 billion on social programs . Hundreds of millions for free and reduced bus rides. Till we fix and fund DOT nothing will change. We need to put the Mt. Hope bridge back under DOT . That will relieve the RITBA 's cash problems . I'm not mad at the Rep's who fought the tolls but the answer is to fix DOT, no just block tolls. Fix the spending problem by introducing legislation that fixes DOT. I said it several times for a reason. I hope it sunk in. The 8 billion dollar budget has to much pork not enough common sense. We are paying for DOT mistakes to the tune of three quarters of a billion dollars because the DOT screwed up and contractors won their law suits. The DOT dosser is still on the job
Stanley Martin
1:32 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Joe must be a Portsmouth or tiverton resident who doesn't want to pay his share... Tax all three bridges.....
Joe Sousa.
9:27 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Stanley Martin must be unaware we have a gas tax we all pay. Tax and Spend is all they know.
Jim L
8:14 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
No tolls on rt 24 you want money raise the fee's on the Newport Bridge leave the fee for instate folks using it the same or lower it, Rt 24 tolls will just cut tourist dollars and take money out of local pockets by paying the fee's to come and go using a major highway, this will harm more folks than you know, even with giving the way for locals to get around it college students and others working at many low paying jobs on the island will be takeing an unjustified paycut
William F Horan
7:49 pm on Thursday, August 16, 2012
The budget passed on a 57-15 vote, and needed fifty votes to pass (2/3 of the House, under the Constitution). If Reilly's eight colleagues from the East Bay (Newport and Bristol Counties) had voted with him and against the budget than the budget, and the tolls, would have failed by one vote.
Who voted FOR bridge tolls (voting FOR the budget):
Rep. Edwards
Rep. Ruggiero
Rep. Gallison
Rep. Martin
Rep. Jackson
Sen. DiPalma
Sen. Paiva-Weed
Sen. Ottiano
REMEMBER THIS AND VOTE THEM OUT!!!!!!