« Photo: A somber visit to the Irish Famine Memorial | Today | Update: Seekonk High takes steps after finding 'hit list' »

March 12, 2008

Panel will look at transportation, eye money sources

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri announced a 12-member panel today that will examine Rhode Island's transportation needs and stake out possible money sources for them for the coming four or five years.

Most heavily used roads and bridges were built between the 1950s and 1970s, Carcieri said in a statement. "That means that we are facing a period where we must undergo major highway and bridge repair in Rhode Island. We have concerns about future reductions in federal highway spending," he stated.

“As is the case in states throughout our nation, Rhode Island’s transportation needs far outweigh available resources,” Carcieri added. “With a projected deficit of the federal highway trust fund in 2009, there is a national concern that the federal government will reduce transportation funding to all states. We could see a 30- to 40-percent decrease in federal transportation funding. If that happens, Rhode Island could stand to lose $60 to 70 million in transportation funding each year.”

At the end of a news conference today, Carcieri said the Department of Transportation has identified the need, during the five-year period, for “approximately $600 million in bridge repair and replacement projects.’’ Even if the list is pared to high-priority projects, he said, the state faces a potential $210 million shortfall in available funding.

With the potential for major cutbacks in federal aid, Carcieri said: “Unfortunately our current revenue streams will not provide the funds we need,’’ and “unless we take measures now, many of the higway projects that we’ve commited to will be delayed.’’

Neither Carcieri nor his out-going DOT director, Jerome Williams, committed to a new funding strategy. But the governor cited steps other states have taken as possibilities here, among them: the sale of portions of Rhode Island’s roadways to private investors and what he called “user-fees,’’ which is another term for a toll.

But while saying everything is on the table -- and he could not rule out hikes in the state’s gasoline tax -- he indicated he was not especially keen on that idea.

Among those appointed to the panel: Williams, whom Carcieri has chosen after his year-long stretch at DOT, to head the Department of Administration; Lloyd Albert, AAA; Bob Cusak from the investment industry; John Gregory, Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce; Maureen Gughigian, First SW Securities; DOT director-nominee Michael Lewis, the former head of Massachusetts’ Big Dig project; Peter Osborn, regional administrator, Federal Highway Administration; state Department of Revenue director Gary Sasse; East Greenwich town manager Bill Sequino; Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council director John Simmons; Keith Stokes, Newport Chamber of Commerce and former Congressman Robert Weygand, Robert A. Weygand, URI’s vice president for administration at the University of Rhode Island.

-- With reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 3:13 PM | Permalink

Comments

Ray R. Hogarth | March 12, 2008 8:06 PM link

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)