Sakonnet tolls on track to start

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- The chairman of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority says tolls are on track to start on the Sakonnet River Bridge next June.

David Darlington tells the Newport Daily News that the amount of the toll is likely to be in line with the tolls on the Pell Bridge, which are currently $4 if paid with cash or 83 cents for state residents who pay with an E-ZPass transponder.

The state is turning over the bridge to the authority, which already oversees the Pell and Mount Hope bridges.

Darlington says work has already begun on studies to help determine the toll. He says the authority must also go through environmental studies, hold public hearings and take other steps before the process is completed.