PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A plan to impose a 10-cent toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge starting Aug. 19 now heads to Governor Chafee for his action, following House and Senate passage late Tuesday.
The votes came after heated debates in both chambers.
They reverse a decision lawmakers made just last week, when they included a provision in the state budget that would have delayed the start of tolls on the Sakonnet bridge until a special commission meets to come up with alternatives.
Under the new plan, the 10-cent toll would be in place until at least April 2014.
Meanwhile, a study commission made up of Assembly leaders and state officials is expected to come up with a new plan to finance the long-term maintenance and repair of all state bridges. They must submit their recommendations by January 2014.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Daniel DaPonte, D-East Providence, said the "nominal toll" is necessary so that the state does not lose the ability -- under federal guidelines --- to impose tolls at some point on the span.
But Sen. Walter Felag, D-Warren, said a toll, whatever the amount, sends the wrong message: "A toll is a barrier that says 'Stay away. We don't want your business.' "
He argued that the toll would set a dangerous precedent: "Today it's 10 cents. But tomorrow it could be a $1 or $2 or $3, until we're taxed to death."
Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, D-North Providence, argued that the temporary toll is a "small price to pay" to come up with a long-term solution to the state's crumbling infrastructure.
"Ten cents isn't going to impact people's lives one way or another," he said. "We were talking about 25 cent, 50 cent, even $1 tolls before, never mind what we were going to charge non-residents."
Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, made the rare decision to step off the rostrum to address the chamber from her seat on the floor.
She acknowledged that the vote was a "hard decision" but argued that investing in Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure is key to the state's economic future.
"It's Sakonnet today or Mount Hope or the Pell bridge," she said. "But it can be any bridge in this state tomorrow."
Paiva Weed said state leaders need to have "difficult discussion" around user fees. "Raising the emissions tax, motor vehicle fees. These are all things to consider," she said.
The 10-cent toll, she added, would roughly cover the $1 million a year that's anticipated for operating the bridge.
The measure passed the chamber on a 29-8 vote.