Lawmakers in Rhode Island are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to deciding whether to resume the state’s truck-only tolls.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled the state was free to resume the tolls on commercial vehicles at 12 bridges along the Rhode Island turnpike.
Those tolls had been inactive since September 2022, when a district court ruled them to be in violation of the dormant commerce clause – which prohibits states from imposing charges with the intent to discriminate in favor of domestic, and against out-of-state or interstate, entities.
While the court did side with the state in regard to the RhodeWorks program not violating the commerce clause, it determined the daily caps placed on the tolls – which it said disproportionately benefited in-state trucking companies – to be unconstitutional.
In order to resume the truck tolls, the state would be required to remove those daily caps, which poses a difficult decision for state lawmakers. Peter Alviti, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, said the department is in a holding pattern when it comes to the tolls.
“Right now, the governor and the leadership in the House and Senate are having discussions about how, when and in what way we implement that,” Alviti told WPRI News. “And at DOT, we are standing by waiting on the guidance from them and we’ll do it whichever way they want.”
Gov. Dan McKee applauded the court’s decision but has not taken a stance on whether he supported turning the tolls back on, instead saying he would “discuss our options” with the speaker of the House and the Senate president.
Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said the ruling would be a benefit for the state when it comes to paying for infrastructure improvements – which was the original intention for the truck tolls when they began in 2018.
“As you know, we have a bridge problem in Rhode Island, and we have to fund it,” Shekarchi said following the court’s decision. “In that respect, it’s a good thing. But we want to make sure that we do it in a very fair and balanced way.”
In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Shekarchi said he would support resuming the state’s truck tolls but acknowledged there would likely need to be new legislation drawn up that would not include daily caps.
“We certainly need the revenue,” Shekarchi said.
Not all of Rhode Island’s lawmakers shared Shekarchi’s opinion when it comes to turning back on the truck tolls.
House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale said the tolls should not be reinstated, calling the state’s willingness to resume the program without daily caps “very concerning” because they were “part of the original deal for passage.”
“With rumored out-of-state moves from some of Rhode Island’s anchor corporations, this will be a difficult decision for the governor and legislative leaders – and the choice is clear: Punish Rhode Island truckers or do away with tolls altogether,” Chippendale said.
According to Chippendale, the House Republican Caucus plans to introduce legislation in January that would repeal the tolls entirely. LL
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