PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state Turnpike and Bridge Authority is to vote Wednesday on a toll plan for the new Sakonnet River Bridge, acting in the face of bitter opposition from those who depend on the bridge.
David A. Darlington, the authority board chairman, said that the plan will charge 75 cents per crossing for most Rhode Islanders using E-ZPass electronic transponders to pay their tolls. He said, "I don't know of any reason [the toll plan] wouldn't pass."
No cash will be collected at the new bridge, with the authority relying on transponders and on "video tolling," where cameras photograph each vehicle, electronic equipment identifies it from its registration number and the owner is billed. The rate for vehicles with no form of E-ZPass will be $5.25.
Darlington said that the plan, among other things, includes two significant discount arrangements: Non-residents will qualify for a discount if they use Rhode Island transponders, and those using Rhode Island transponders will also be able to make an unlimited number of trips across both the Pell and Sakonnet River bridges in one day after paying for the first crossing.