Rebuilding Rhode Island’s Aging Bridges with Truck Tolling Ed Regan Senior Vice President Rebuilding Rhode Island’s Aging Bridges with Truck Tolling The RhodeWorks Bridge Replacement Program August 15, 2017 Presented at: SASHTO 2017 Norfolk, VA

RhodeWorks Bridge Reconstruction – Large Commercial Truck Tolling Program The Problem Rhode Island ranks last in the nation, 50th out of 50 states, in overall bridge condition Over 20% of the 1,162 bridges in Rhode Island are structurally deficient Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Infrastructure: “$285 Million Annual Funding Gap (2008 Dollars)” just for state of good repair. Almost all vehicle-created road damage is from large commercial trucks. Rhode Island is a very small state A very high proportion of through traffic on I-95 Most of it does not stop for gas in the state

The Solution Governor Raimondo and her admin. have put a significant focus on rebuilding the state’s infrastructure to promote economic growth. Secure additional funding to restore transportation infrastructure: Charging a user fee on ONLY large commercial trucks - not cars or smaller trucks Taking advantage of the low bond rates to fund needed work Fix more than 150 structurally deficient bridges in Rhode Island, and make repairs to another 500 bridges to prevent them from becoming deficient Realize significant savings over ten years by addressing the problem now instead of waiting A look at how RIDOT solved “the problem”…

Tolling Is a Good Option for Rhode Island Very high proportion of “through” traffic, most of which does not purchase fuel within R.I. Tolls are generally prohibited on currently untolled interstate highways RIDOT considered tolling of I-95 under the ISRRPP program, did not receive one of three limited slots several years ago Section 129 FHWA tolling program does permit the addition of tolling on bridges being replaced or substantially reconstructed FHWA considers any structure of more than 20 feet in length to be eligible for tolling under this provision No formal “tolling agreement” required under this program; rather only an MOU with FHWA

Steps in the Process Preliminary assessments of potential bridge locations and revenue potential in early 2015 – Governor establishes RhodeWorks program and solicited approval of Legislature Rhode Island Legislature debated late in 2015 session but did not reach consensus More detailed traffic studies and alternatives analyses undertaken later in 2015 as program was refined Both houses of R.I. legislature approved the program in early 2016 Key decision: tolls would only be assessed on large trucks, general responsible for a majority of structure wear on highways

Large Commercial Truck Only - Bridge Tolls Bridge Reconstruction Tolling Allowed under 23 USC Section 129 Emergence of all-electronic non-stop tolling made the concept feasible Per Section 129, states set toll policy, including: RE: Toll Collection in One or Both Directions Toll Rates Discount Programs Classes of Vehicles Upon Which Tolls are Charged

Tolls to Be Assessed on Heavy Trucks RIDOT determined that majority of load related damage to structures is caused by heavy trucks FHWA Class 8 and above Essentially tractor trailer combinations Automatic Vehicle Classification will require: Vehicle profiling Vehicle length measure Vehicle separation

Selecting Tolling Locations RIDOT Goals: Maximize Revenue Minimize Toll Charges Minimize Local Community Impacts Primary Considerations: Deficient Bridge Locations Revenue - High Truck Volumes Minimize Truck Diversions Balanced Coverage Statewide

All Electronic Tolling at 14 Locations Automatic Vehicle Classification EZ-Pass Transactions Video Plate Imaging for Trucks without EZ-Pass

RIDOT Bridge Truck Toll Program Rhode Works Legislation passed 02/2016 MOUs with FHWA executed 09/2016 Agreement that truck tolling meets requirements based on 23 USC 129 (a)(1) Design-Build-Operate-Maintain Contract Awarded to a team led by Kapsch in 2017 Locations 1 & 2 start revenue collection 12/2017 Remaining locations start revenue collection 12/2018 10-year O&M phase with two optional 5-year extensions

NEPA Considerations FHWA gave option for one Programmatic EA or 13 separate EAs RIDOT selected a single programmatic approach Includes the Toll Gantries at each tolling location and the indirect impacts of truck diversions to alternative routes Purpose & Need: to repair structurally deficient bridges & implement tolling program for funding repair Alternatives: Build or No Build only FHWA gave approval of NEPA approach in letter of 05/01/17

What Might This Mean for Other States Bridge tolling exemption could be a major opportunity for any state The program is flexible with relatively few limitations Applicable to any structure over 20 feet, including bridges over cross roads, being substantially reconstructed or replaced, including major deck replacements, strengthening to meet current load standards, widening or full replacement No direct limits on toll rates, “Excess” revenue (after debt service and ongoing maintenance) can be used for any Title 23 authorized transportation purpose This flexibility would allow a state to finance a network of bridge (and perhaps other) road improvements without directly limiting the revenue collected at each bridge to the improvement cost of that bridge

Thank You Ed Regan reganej@cdmsmith.com