Rhode Island’s Truck Tolls Set to Restart
All trucks will face the same toll charges when Rhode Island’s contentious tolling system resumes. As reported by NBC10, the tolls are expected to be operational in about a year, which is approximately nine months behind the original schedule.
The initial goal was to reactivate the tolls this spring; however, state authorities recently disclosed that more equipment needs replacement than they initially anticipated. “We’re really back to square one,” stated Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti during a Thursday interview on WPRO radio with Gene Valicenti.
Alviti mentioned that the anticipated timeline for collecting tolls now points to early next year. This delay is attributed to the need for equipment installers to inspect the complex electronic devices that have been exposed to the elements for several years.
The truck tolls were first implemented in 2018 as part of former Governor Gina Raimondo’s RhodeWorks road repair initiative. However, trucking companies challenged the tolls in court, asserting that they were unjust. The tolls generated around $100 million before a judge ruled in favor of the truckers in 2022, resulting in a suspension of the tolls.
An appeals court ruling in late 2024 permitted the tolls to be reinstated, but only if the state eliminated the price discount previously granted to local trucking companies. State officials have since been devising a strategy to comply with this ruling.
A RIDOT representative stated that the agency currently does not know the cost associated with reinstating the tolls as they await incoming bids. Alviti noted that some equipment might have needed replacement multiple times by now if the tolls had remained operational throughout the legal proceedings.
As the tolls are set to resume, Alviti affirmed that all trucks would be charged equally to comply with the court’s decision. Currently, RIDOT is yet to determine the specific toll rates. Furthermore, a plan has been established to rebuild the billing system entirely, moving away from the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority’s EZ Pass system, with a new vendor set to be selected in approximately two months.
