LETTERS

Too many unanswered questions on truck tolls

Posted 2/9/16

To the Editor:

Take a look at the RoadWorks website. How could anyone who lives, works or travels through Rhode Island dispute the fact that our infrastructure is in deplorable condition? The …

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LETTERS

Too many unanswered questions on truck tolls

Posted

To the Editor:

Take a look at the RoadWorks website. How could anyone who lives, works or travels through Rhode Island dispute the fact that our infrastructure is in deplorable condition? The photograph of the busted and sinking storm grate could have been taken anyplace in our State. We need the repairs and we certainly need the jobs. The question is: do we need the tolls?

I read H-7409. The described maintenance and rehab to our roads and bridges will certainly provide significant employment beyond building 14 toll gantries. So why must those two actions be linked hand-in-hand?

If you read any of the long-term studies regarding toll roads, you’ll find that traffic forecasts are typically exaggerated and in many cases just plain wrong. JP Morgan and Standard & Poor’s have documented overestimations of revenue up to 30 percent of projected figures. Among the many reasons for these errors are the miscalculation or overestimation of users’ willingness to pay a toll, unforeseen improvements to competitor routes, fewer off peak and weekend trips and an overestimation of truck traffic. Additionally, the Value Of Time (VOT) for truckers varies greatly depending upon their market segment and how they absorb tolling. Does the trucking company value a transportation system to save time, distance or money?

What were the assumptions, estimated values and modeling the State of RI relied upon before fast-tracking this legislation? Was there an independent, nonbiased evaluation made with regards to forecasted revenue and forecasted traffic? What were the results of the calculated Risk Assessment? What other funding options did they explore?

The General Assembly, in H-7409 states “GARVEE bonds should be utilized to fund the bridge replacement, reconstruction, and maintenance component of the 10-year capital program known as RhodeWorks.” In 2014, Moody’s downgraded 17 GARVEE bond ratings which negatively impacted over $6 billion in outstanding debt. RI was one of those effected states.

H-7409 further states the “General Assembly hereby approves financing not to exceed three hundred million dollars ($300,000,000) in principal amount of GARVEE Bonds, the repayment of which shall be derived from and supported by FHWA funds due the State of Rhode Island. The term of the GARVEE bonds shall not exceed fifteen (15) years and the total debt service on the GARVEE bonds shall not exceed four hundred ninety million dollars ($490,000,000).” So, what happens if the money is not there when it’s time to pay the feds back? Can we afford an overly optimistic toll revenue forecast?

Once upon a time, Rhode Island looked for a way to shore up its sinking Education. We took the federal dollars attached to “No Child Left Behind.” Now every child is left behind. Our legislators blew the dust off their old baseball cards when Curt Shilling came to town and we know who is left holding the bag marked “38 Studios.” H-7409 offers a less than transparent shove towards a Tolls Bill that is being fast-tracked down our legislators’ throats. I fear we are not all going to “live happily ever after” on this one either, folks. Please contact your Reps and Senators.

Camille Vella-Wilkinson

Ward 3 Councilwoman

Comments

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  • wheelchairman

    Well said.

    Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Unfortunately, as she usually does , Mrs. Wilkinson, (local council embarrasment) points out the obvious but fails to identify or extrapolate on the reasons why we are in this particular predicament. So let me fill in the blanks.

    For 30 years, the monies absconded from the taxpayers in the form of gasoline taxes, increased sales taxes, and registration fees that were earmarked for the "MAINTENANCE" of roads and bridges, has been put into the general fund and used to pay for massive unfunded liabilities. These unfunded liabilities are the result of 60 years of democratic leadership that has given away the store to special interests by exchanging lucrative labor contracts with unrealisteic pension and healthcare programs, for democratic votes. Very simple. Much like Mrs. Wilkinson has done during her stint on the Warwick City Council. Now, maybe its a mathematics deficincy that these democrat opperatives suffer from, but mathematics is neither democrat or republican. When year after year your pension program returns 2.28% or less over a 15 year period, you cannot continue to calculate benefits based upon 8.5%, or 8%, or the current 7.5%. Hence, the money has to come from somewhere, so these "earmarked monies" are raided from the general fund to pay the UNFUNDED LIABILITIES, leaving little to no money left for maintenance. Problem 1.

    To add insult to injury, the agency that is tasked with the managment of these structures (RIDOT) is, and has been a dumping ground for unqualified, unskilled people for 30 years or more. Any individual that possessed no more of a skill set other than knowing how to hold a shovel was promised a job by a politiicial hack such as Camille Wilkinson, as a trade off for a vote, and dumped into the agency. Its a fact and everyone knows it. In particular, current DOT director Peter Alviti was the chaiman of the board of the International Laborers Health and Safety Fund along with Treasurer Steven Cardi, and union leader Armand Sabatoni. Problem #2.

    During this 30 year period of dysfunction, too many administrators and field personnel became too close with the major construction companies here in Rhode Island and gross deviations of code compliance were allowed to go unanswered. Contractors were allowed to cut corners, overcharge for services not rendered, and we continued to pay the bill. Shotty construction was everywhere due to lack of proper qualified oversight personnel, (which continues today), and fast forward 30 years, our infrastructure is in shambles. The Question is - What has changed? Answer - Absolutuely nothing.

    As evidence to my claim let me point to DOT & Cardi's current abortion, the Apponaug Circulator Project. Since last February I have written letters to all parties, including Wilkinson and this new paper, pertainig to the enormous code violations. Wilkinson never even resonded, much like the rest of the council. God forbid we hold anyone in our community accountable. When the Hummel Report finally broke the piece about my alleged code compliance issues, Peter Alviti admitted on camera that there were serious concerns to code compliance. What did our local officials due? They issued a proclamation that they would meet with all concerned residents to address any citizens concerns. As we all know, the meeting never took place. That was November 18th 2015.

    Last week, more code violations were brought to the attention of the media by me, and again, DOT director Peter Alviti went on comaera admitting yet again, that there were more code violations in the Apponaug Circulator. What has changed? Nothing. Here's why. If you read the project specification you will note that each contractor and sub contractor MUST have a certified quality assurance program in place. The current contractor Cardi, has no certified QA program so they hire and pay an outside agency, in this case Theilsch Engineering, to provide quality assurance inspection. On any construction project anywhere in the country, the third party independant testing agency works on behalf of the owner or engineer of record, which in this case would be RI DOT. But not in Rhode Island. RI DOT has no qualified personnel so the testing and inspection of these projects is paid for by the contractor, in this case CARDI. Do we understand the conflict of interest yet? Nothing has changed, but Ms. Wilkinson doesnt address the broken agency that will be left to manage the tax dollars. Much like the broken finance committee of the Warwick City Council that Ms. Wilkinson is the current chairperson of.

    I find it offensive that an individual such as Wilinson can write a peice such as this when clearly she has become the local poster child for how problems such as the issue at hand proliferate. Sher herself has been at the helm of hiring of unqualified people and circumventing the system. Case and point 1, the hiring of City Auditior, Kathleeen Avila. Unqualified, no accounting background, never worked in an accounting environment. Case and point 2, the hiring of a consultant to identify best practices in the helath care system of Warwick Employees. $15,000 expenditure, and ignored all 6 recommendations.

    I could go on for days, but it is trully laughable that Wilkinson or any other Democrat, can expound about the obvious, but wear blinders to the reasons why. And she seeks higher office? Why is R.I. in last place on every list? Keep electing the same people, keep giving away the store.

    Having inspected numerous bridges throughout New England, I can assure you, that its not the trucks that have caused the decaying conditions. It is however, the complete lack of mainenance due to the theft of your tax dollars. By the way, nothing has changed.

    Thursday, February 11, 2016 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    Remember when RIDOT was able to build and repair roads?

    Starting in the late '60's and early '70's, RI legislators, at the behest of their mob friends who are (silent) partners in the construction companies, began to gut the RIDOT budget and transfer more of the road construction and repair work to contractors under the guise of "savings" to the budget; this continued until RIDOT (and RI municipalities followed suit, particularly Providence) until highway departments were gutted and can do little more than fill potholes.

    Unfortunately, those legislators are long-since retired or taking dirt naps and won't or can't explain why they chose such a shortsighted solution, other than threats or the largesse of the contractors and their "partners".

    Fast-forward to today, and RI'ers are at the mercy of construction contractors with bloated budgets, schedules, material costs, and poor safety records. Contracts can be written to hold their feet to the fire and make them competitive, but at the DOT, the fix is in and there's plenty of wiggle room for the Contractors. After all, no one wants to get beaten up in the parking lot or have their vehicle damaged for not hiring the "right" contractor.

    It's sad to see other States repair their own roads, sometimes in a matter of days, or build 20 miles of roads and bridges in less than two years.

    What a windfall for the connected (again), Giner.

    Friday, February 12, 2016 Report this