Northbound traffic backs up all the way across the bridge last Friday - typical for afternoon rush hour. Photo by Bruce Burdett.
Reason #37 why tolls are a terrible idea for the Mount Hope Bridge — Traffic.
The afternoon rush on the Mount Hope Bridge was about typical last Friday.
Heading north toward Bristol, vehicles were backed up nearly to the Portsmouth side – over a mile. The only apparent cause for the slow slog was the Roger Williams University traffic light just beyond the bridge’s Bristol side. Past that light, the gridlock was gone and cars went quickly on their way.
Mornings it’s the same headed the other way. During peak times, cars back up nearly to Bristol. Only apparent cause — the Portsmouth-side traffic light.
Now the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority wants to make a bad situation much worse by adding tolls to that slow-motion mix.
Northbound vehicles would then meet a toll booth bottleneck, only to be released to that same stoplight 100 yards up the road. It is hardly far-fetched to imagine rush hour traffic then backing clear across the span into Portsmouth. Portsmouth would have to dispatch a police officer to control the chaos at that end — as happens often now during summer bridge work.
The Authority argues that transponders would speed the process, logic contradicted by real-world toll booth experience just about everywhere.
Traffic jams waste fuel, discourage tourists and make for a miserable start/end of the day.
If returning tolls to the Mount Hope Bridge is the best answer the Turnpike and Bridge Authority can come up with, it’s time to wonder why these bridges are entrusted to an entity that has no access to the usual state and federal bridge repair funds.
Tolling two of the three routes onto Aquidneck Island is a bad idea for no end of reasons.
Comments
Andrewnaylor61 3 months ago
Dear SIr Madam It is very obvious that you did NOT attend the meeting held at Jackies Galaxy last fall regarding placing the toll back on the Mount hope Bridge If you had you would have learnt that all you have to do is DRIVE under the Arbor NO STOPPING involved, and since there is a speed limit of 30mph enforced going over the bridge you will not even have to slow down to comply with the Easy Pass. A rotary using most of the existing road system could have easily been used in stead of the "STUDENTS" traffic lights on the Bristol end cutting down our delays at rush hour and our city taxes as Rotaries do not need power to run them Secondly and most importantly, Do you feel SAFE crossing over the Sekonnet Bridge, or even the small bridge over at Island Park? Both these structures and I use the phrase "maintained " very very lousy by the RIDOT If you think that the words SAFE, RIDOT and VALUE for money, with regard to major RI road structures should be associated together possibly you should redefine the words SAFE and VALUE
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