Transportation 2035 - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

December 2012BLACKSTONE VALLEYA study on commuter rail in the Blackstone Valley was completed that estimated ridership from Woonsocket to Providence. A follow-up study was conductedto determine feasibility, costs, benefits, ridership, service levels, and potential transit oriented development along an intrastate rail transit corridor fromWoonsocket to Warwick.AQUIDNECK ISLANDShould commuter rail service be extended from Boston to Fall River, a subsequent extension to Aquidneck Island may become a possibility. This extensionwould also require a crossing at the Sakonnet River crossing. On island service could be initiated independently of Fall River service or a Sakonnet Rivercrossing. The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, in conjunction with the RI DOT and the RI Statewide Planning Program, recently completed aTransportation Study for the island. That study recommended maintaining an active Newport Secondary Rail Corridor including preserving the rail corridor as acontiguous right-of-way, working with adjacent developers to eliminate existing or future encroachments (i.e. roadways, drainage, structure, etc.) as part ofthe local development approval process, promote continued track maintenance/grade-crossing improvements to retain Class 1 rating, and increase potentialuse of appropriate/feasible seasonal/year-round passenger rail uses of corridor.The State is currently in the process of completing a State Rail Plan which will be utilized to prioritize future rail projects for study and implementation.STATE FUNDING RESOURCESMOTOR VEHICLE FUEL TAX (GAS TAX)The State levies a 32 cent per gallon tax on motor vehicle fuels, which was last raised in 2009. In addition, Rhode Island levies a one-cent per gallon surchargewhich was originally intended to fund the Underground Storage Tank (UST) environmental remediation fund. The revenue generated by this “gas tax”increases and decreases in proportion to the number of gallons of fuel sold. According to a study by the Brookings Institution, receipts from federal and stategas taxes nation-wide rose beginning in the 1970s, but they reached a plateau in the late 1990s. The issue of reduced revenues from the gas tax is not a RhodeIsland issue alone, but a national problem, bolstered by the push to reduce congestion, promote alternate modes of transportation and alternative fuels, andimprove fuel economy in passenger vehicles.In 1992, Rhode Island had a 26 cent per gallon gas tax, which over the course of 20 years rose to 32 cents, an increase of 23.1 percent. Rhode Island’s total gastax receipts have not kept pace with increasing costs for transportation infrastructure, instead falling sharply in the past decade. With citizens driving less andTransportation 2035 (2012 Update)State Guide Plan Element 611Rhode Island Statewide Planning ProgramPage 3-8