State Rep. Richard Morrison (D-Bristol) has introduced legislation that will dissolve the quasi-public agency, and move all its duties and functions to a new Turnpike and Bridge Division within the RIDOT.

“Maybe back in 1954, when the Turnpike and Bridge Authority was created by the General Assembly, there was good reason for a separate entity to maintain and operate bridge projects in the state,” said Representative Morrison. “I am not aware of any compelling reason for the authority to continue to exist now, when the authority is responsible for only two bridges and when it makes much more sense to have bridges, like all other roads in the state, under the control and operation of the DOT.”

“The Turnpike and Bridge Authority is just, in my opinion, another layer of government that doesn’t need to exist, and especially since, as a quasi-public agency, it is not directly answerable to the citizens of the state,” he said.

The proposal comes on the heels of another proposal expected to be considered by state lawmakers that would actually increase the responsibility of the authority, giving it jurisdiction over the new Sakonnet River Bridge and Jamestown Bridge.

Morrison, who has actively opposed plans by the Authority to institute tolls on the Mount Hope and Sakonnet River bridges, insisted his legislation is not only about tolls.

“This is not about tolls. It is about who is best suited to operate the bridges in the state and how can we, considering our state’s financial condition, do that the most effectively and efficiently,” he said. “In the case of state government, multiple layers of bureaucracy and authority are not the best way to do things.”

He did suggest, however, that by eliminating the Authority and placing its functions within the DOT, the resulting efficiencies “might eliminate the need to place tolls on the bridges, or raise the toll prices.”

It's not clear how much money would be saved under the plan -- if any -- and how the state would come up with the roughly $200 million in long-term maintenance needed on the Pell and Mount Hope bridges.