US DOT cool to Chafee's I-95 toll idea

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - President Obama's transportation secretary is throwing cold water on Gov. Lincoln Chafee's proposal to put tolls on I-95 as a way of paying for road repairs.

"If a state or a governor or DOT wants to add capacity or two lanes on each side, we think that's a good use of tolls and we have supported that kind of approach," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with WPRI 12.

• Extended Interview with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

"We don't support the kind of approach, though, for roads that have already been built with taxpayer dollars then to be tolled," LaHood said.

Chafee's budget proposal for 2011-12 calls for a study to examine the possibility of adding tolls to Rhode Island highways, including I-95, to pay for a backlog of infrastructure projects, not additional lanes.

A spokesman for the governor was not immediately available for comment.

LaHood spoke to WPRI 12 via satellite along with U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse to discuss the administration's decision Monday to send Rhode Island $28 million in railway funding rejected by Florida. The state got all but $3 million of its request.

"We made a decision on this money that the Northeast would be a priority," LaHood said. The funding is slated to boost high-speed rail service at North Kingstown's Kingston station and fund planning projects for improvements at Providence's train station.

LaHood praised Reed and Whitehouse, saying their involvement was key to the administration's decision to provide most of the funding Rhode Island wanted.

"It's hard to be disappointed" in getting $28 million out of $31 million, Whitehouse said.

The senators said they are also committed to extending Amtrak service to the new intermodal station at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, and LaHood said he thought Amtrak would be supportive of doing so.

"We're still going to push forward on improvements throughout the rail system in Rhode Island for the commuter rail," Reed said.

twhite@wpri.com / tnesi@wpri.com